


Princess of Rejection

by KatlnnRotato



Category: Bleach
Genre: Alliances, Alternate Universe, Boats and Ships, Friendship, Gen, Historical Inaccuracy, Manipulation, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Politics, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:33:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 33,897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26723716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KatlnnRotato/pseuds/KatlnnRotato
Summary: Out along the coast of Japan lies a part of the ocean known as the Undead Sea. No sailors dare enter it for fear of losing their soul to one of the many wandering spirits said to reside there. Only one vessel has ever traversed it safely and continues to even today: the Princess of Rejection.Sailing on the Princess of Rejection can cut a one week trip into a three day journey, so a few truly desperate souls board the ship and sail through the treacherous waters. This is the story about one such journey.
Kudos: 8





	1. Greetings

**Author's Note:**

> After finishing my reread of Bleach I was like oo I wanna make another story for this fandom, maybe something with multiple ships and a lot of more emotional stuff...
> 
> None of that happened

"H-Hold on, Ichigo-san! We're almost there!" Yamada panted out, hefting Ichigo's body further onto him as he continued running.

He kept one of Ichigo's arms over his shoulders, carrying most of his weight as he dragged them further to the coast. Ichigo was barely able to keep his eyes open, feet stumbling to keep up with Yamada as he clutched uselessly at his side. Blood soaked through his fingers which pressed up against the deep wound in his side. Shallow breaths left his mouth as he finally smelled the seaside air.

Only Yamada, faithful by his side, kept him moving forward with his continuous babbling to stay awake. Ichigo wanted sleep to take him but he knew he couldn't let it. Not yet. Their enemy was still after them.

"C'mon, just a little bit further!" Yamada called, panting getting louder and louder. His heart was beating so loud he felt like it would burst."Just a little further, Ichigo-san! Don't fall asleep yet, please!"

Ichigo groaned and Yamada stumbled in his haste. His grip on Ichigo slipped again and he quickly pulled his arm over his shoulder again and continued their trek.

"The ship is right ahead! I can see it!" Yamada exclaimed, keeping Ichigo moving."Just a little bit further, Ichigo-san!"

Ichigo forced his feet to move. He couldn't even move his head upwards to glance at their destination with how worn his body was. The wound in his side spiked in pain at his actions but Ichigo ignored it. They needed to get to the ship. They needed to get away. Ichigo needed to rest. He was so tired. So tired.

"Ichigo-san, hold on just a little longer!" Yamada snapped him out of his daze. He suddenly realized his feet were walking on the wooden planks of a dock instead of the rough dirt paths they were traversing before.

There was a massive ship awaiting them at the end of the dock. Posted next to the entrance upwards was a tall women with thick black hair braided around her neck and down her front. She wore a long maroon kimono with a thick, black haori over it. Both articles were clearly worn. She watched various crates being put into the ship in preparation for their departure.

Her sharp, seemingly all-seeing eyes snapped to the pair that walked up to her. By this time Ichigo was barely holding onto consciousness and Yamada looked worn down and beyond frightened.

"D-Do you have a sickbay on board?" Yamada asked hastily."W-We need to hurry up and get him treated! He wont last much longer at this rate!"

The women just smiled at him."Are you a passenger?" she asked.

"Y-Yes!"

"May I see you boarding pass?" She was remorseless in her questions, caring little about making haste to help the injured man in front of her. It made a cold shiver run down Yamada's spine.

"Y-Yes, let me find it..." he rambled off, holding Ichigo up while patting down his pockets and hoping dearly he didn't drop their passes somewhere in all the scuffle. Eyes wide and a smile of relief running across his face, Yamada pulled out two passes from his left breast pocket and held them out to the women."Here they are!"

She pressed them back towards Yamada."Those you must keep on your person. You'll need them once we enter the Undead Sea." Yamada kept them clutched in his hand, not sure exactly what she meant but frightened nonetheless."Now, let's see to your friend, shall we?"

"Yes, please!"

She walked closer to Yamada, holding up Ichigo's other side as they now hastily lead him onto the ship to be treated. The whole way there, Yamada silently thanked the Gods that they were still alive.  
  


* * *

  
  
Aizen watched the ship in front of him being loaded up with various crates full of supplies. He kept a watchful eye on everything, scanning the ships exterior like he was able to see through its various walls.

A tall women, equal or perhaps even surpassing his height, stood watching the transfer. She noticed Aizen and walked over to him with a hesitant smile on her face. Her white hair made her look older than she actually was, as her features were young, and she wore dark brown pants, a loose grey blouse, and a thick jacket to protect from the cold over the top. The clothes were all clearly worn.

"Hello, are you here to board the ship, sir?" she asked politely.

"Yes, I am," Aizen replied solemnly, pulling out his pass and showing it to her."Aizen Sousuke, a pleasure." He bowed lowly in greeting.

"Ah, it's a pleasure to meet you, Aizen-sama." Isane bowed back in greeting."My name's Kotetsu Isane. I'm the co-captain aboard this ship."

"The Princess of Rejection, correct?" Aizen asked, smiling her way.

"You're familiar with this ship, Aizen-sama?" Isane asked curiously.

"I've read about it," Aizen responded, staring at the large vessel in front of him."I must say, it really is much more beautiful in the flesh. The drawings I've seen of it haven't done it justice. You're lucky to be able to sail in such a ship, Kotetsu-sencho."

"Yes, I think so too," Isane replied, a small, intimate smile on her face. Aizen noticed the look, peering away from her face to stare back at the ship. He pushed his glasses up.

It really was a thing of beauty. The color was that of plain wood but the carvings and carpentry was something to be marveled. It had a dark beauty to it with pitch black sails and dark wood framing its sides. At the helm was a figurehead of a women with flowing orange hair, the most distinctive feature on the ship.

But this was a ship with deceiving looks, Aizen knew. Such a piece of beauty was the only ship which tread through the Undead Sea. Aizen could smell the lingering scent of the souls of the dead on it clearly even from where he stood. This was certainly the ship he was looking for.

"What brings you aboard our ship, Aizen-sama? If I may be so rude as to ask," Isane spoke to him again, pushing Aizen out of his thoughts.

He turned back to Isane."I'm what you may call an investigator. Or perhaps scientist or scholar are better terms. I seek out things which intrigue me and journal and publish my works for the public. My pursuits are mainly of the supernatural variety, though, so many see to call me an eccentric."

"I would do no such thing! You're doing a wonderful thing, Aizen-sama!" Isane responded back with a bit of fire in her voice."Most people who board the Princess of Rejection are here for the destination, not the journey. There are occasionally people desperate enough to sail through the Undead Sea to get to their destination faster than taking the usual route around it."

"Yes, so I've heard," Aizen responded, eyes narrowing."Do we have any such passengers this trip? Or will it only be me sailing with you, Kotetsu-sencho?"

"We've had a total of four passengers board the ship besides you," Isane reported."We will be departing soon, so I expect you will be our last passenger. Never before have we had so many people in one trip! It'll be quite an interesting journey! You got lucky, Aizen-sama."

"Yes, I certainly did." Aizen pressed his glasses up against his brow. Four people...Four potential candidates he had to weed out by the end of this journey. He couldn't exclude the captain and co-captain either.

"This'll be quite an interesting journey indeed..." he spoke to Isane, walking towards the ship while mumbling to himself."Won't it, Urahara Kisuke-san?"  
  


* * *

  
  
Isane stepped downstairs into the cargo bay where Unohana moved around, checking the last of their supplies and making sure all the cargo from the various companies they worked for was inside. She did it all mentally with a practiced ease that only people with decades of experience could have.

"The last of the cargo has been loaded onto the ship, Unohana-sencho," Isane spoke to the captain of the Princess of Rejection."I directed all the passengers to their cabins and told them all the reconvene in the main hall once we set sail."

"Good work, Kotetsu-sencho," Unohana praised, looking away from the crates to stare back at her co-captain."How many passengers do we have to account for this trip?"

"Five in total. It's the first time we've had so many. I hope we have enough supplies to feed everyone." Isane worriedly looked around at the cargo around them.

"Don't fret, Kotetsu-sencho," Unohana responded with a calm voice smooth like water."Though it is unexpected, we always come prepared, do we not?"

Isane nodded back hesitantly.

"What we should be worrying about most is our passage through the Undead Sea with such a large crowd. We must make sure they don't do anything rash once we enter that soul-filled land."

"Yes, of course!" Isane agreed with a nod."I'll make sure to brief them extensively once we leave the port. I'm sure they've all heard plenty of the dangers of the Undead Sea already. If that doesn't keep them in their cabins at night, then they must be truly wishing for death."

"Yes..." Unohana looked off, gaze unfocusing before snapping back to attention."Thankfully it looks like we'll have good weather throughout our journey. The wind will also be on our side for most of this trip."

Isane nodded along with her words."And what about the injured man that boarded our ship, Unohana-sencho? Has his condition stabilized?"

"Kurosaki-sama is doing well," Unohana responded, making Isane sigh with relief."Once we set sail, I'm sure all his injuries will be healed come morning. That's just the kind of magic this ship holds."

"It truly is a magical ship," Isane smiled, looking at the dark wood walls which encased them."I've never seen anything like it. No matter the injury, as long as the Princess of Rejection is moving through the water, it can be healed. I wonder where this power comes from..."

"Who knows?" Unohana questioned back wistfully."Perhaps it's the will of the Gods or the will of the princess of this ship. Regardless, it's not something to dwell on. Let's just be thankful someone is always watching over our journey."

Isane nodded, not dwelling on it past that. Still, the traveler Aizen's words entered her mind. The intrigue and need to know and understand the ship was so different from Unohana. She didn't question the strange things which happened on the ship like Aizen did. But that also might've been why she was able to captain the Princess of Rejection for so long.

She had already been the captain of the ship for two years before Isane became her co-captain. By then, Unohana was acutely aware of the dangers of journeying through the Undead Sea. She had coached Isane down to the minuscule details of what she needed to do sailing in the Princess of Rejection. Everything about sailing on this ship was one giant risk and she knew it best.

Yet still, she refused to sail in anything else or anywhere else. Isane respected her for that.

"Let's hurry upstairs, Kotetsu-sencho," Unohana called to her, walking towards the stairs upwards."It's about time we set sail, don't you think?"

"Y-Yes!" Isane called, following after her."Right away, Unohana-sencho!"  
  


* * *

  
  
The ship was set in motion, leaving the port and beginning its three day journey through the Undead Sea. With one man, Ichigo, injured in the sickbay, only four of the five passengers aboard the Princess of Rejection sat in the main hall awaiting the two captains presence.

The hall was decorated like a mead hall with various wooden tables and benches littering the floor in organized lines. There were far more tables than needed with so little people aboard the ship, but the design was old and unchanged so no one questioned it.

At the far end of the hall nearest the door they all entered through from their cabins was Yamada. He had been offered a change of clothes by Unohana, since he and Ichigo hadn't brought any extra carry on in their rush to get on the ship. What he was given was a mossy green kimono which he wore with a black scarf wrapped tightly around his neck. His usual sash with his meager belongings rested across his chest and he fiddled with it while looking around the room with caution at the other three people inhabiting the space.

Aizen, from his spot at one of the tables in the center of the main hall, smiled at him in a kind attempt to ease Yamada's nerves. He wore a pair a thick framed glasses which covered his face and dressed in a grey checkered suit, waist coat and all, with a black tie to finish off the look. A gold chain circled outward from his breast pocket and clung to his tie, a simple pocket watch inside. He was a perfect picture of what you would call a "scholarly gentleman".

On the other end of the table from him, having arrived before Aizen and ending up close to him, was Ise Nanao. She was dressed in a high collared military uniform with a sturdy brimmed cap on her head and thin glasses. It was the simplest form of the uniform, so it was unknown her exact affiliation with any military branch. Her face remained stoic as she briefly surveyed the group around her before keeping her eyes to herself.

Lastly, in the corner opposite from Yamada near the other door on the opposite end of the main hall, rested Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. He had an irritated look on his face, palm of his hand resting on his face as he stared down the people around him. He wore a simple pair of black pants and a trench coat with a loose white shirt with string weaved through the top of the v-neck. There was also a stupid black collar clipped around his neck, like his baby blue hair didn't make him stand out enough.

He could tell everyone was filtering their eyes towards him for that exact reason, which is why he only glared harder back in response. If one person questioned him about it, he swore he would rip them to shreds. It wasn't a lie that he was a foreigner, but he didn't like being looked at like a creature in a cage.

Before Aizen could break the uneasy silence or Grimmjow could snap at everyone in the room, the captain and co-captain of the ship entered the main hall through the door next to Yamada. The man startled embarressingly at the sudden creaking, clutching his sash tighter to his person. He wished Ichigo was there with him instead of fighting off a fever.

"Hello everyone," Unohana greeted, bowing slightly along with Isane who stood next to her, closing the door behind them."I would like to once again welcome you aboard the Princess of Rejection. I'm the captain of this ship, Unohana Retsu."

"And I'm the co-captain, Kotetsu Isane. A pleasure," Isane spoke, bowing once again in greeting.

"We would like to take this time to briefly go over everything you'll need to know while aboard this ship," Unohana said, nodding to her co-captain."Kotetsu-sencho, if you would."

"Of course." She stepped forward, focusing on the group before her."As you all may know, this is no normal journey, as we will be traversing through Undead Sea." Grimmjow snorted at that."Breakfast will be served at 7:00, lunch at noon, and dinner at 18:00. We will be entering the Undead Sea tomorrow night, roughly around the twentieth hour and leaving around sunrise.

"We ask that, during this time, you remain in your cabins and do not leave until breakfast the following morning. We will be sure to inform you of any changes in the schedule as they may occur. During this time, please keep your boarding pass on you at all times. The Undead Sea is known for stealing the souls of the living. Your boarding pass acts as a talisman to ward off any spirits which wish to take your soul. I understand some of you may not believe in such superstitions, yet I implore that you still do as we ask of you."

As Isane finished, Unohana butted in to say her piece."We are on course to arrive at the Main Port in three days. Nights can get cold at sea, so please see us if you need any extra blankets or a matchbook. Isane-sencho and I have sailed this route numerous times, so we will be able to ensure your safety so long as you follow the guidelines we have set out for you. If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask them now."

"Are we allowed on the deck of the ship?" Nanao spoke up, voice just as stoic as her face."I tend to get seasick the first night at sea and fresh air helps ease it."

"Yes, of course." Unohana nodded."I'll have Kotetsu-sencho show you how to get up there after this, though I think you'll find you wont be needing to go up there tonight."

"What do you mean?" Nanao asked, eyes narrowing.

Unohana chuckled."Nothing of importance. I didn't seem to catch your name, miss..."

"Ise Nanao," the women said proudly with a small bow."Lieutenant General of the 8th Division of the Imperial Japanese Army. You may call me casually. A pleasure."

Yamada's eyes widened comically and it took everything in his power not to audibly squeak in horror. A military general...A high ranking military general was on the same ship as them! He couldn't let her see Ichigo. But what if she already knew?! Oh god, what to do...But if no one knew Ichigo was in the sick bay...

"Nice to meet you as well, Ise-sama," Unohana greeted back."I'm sorry I was unable to greet all of you. I was busy attending to another one of our passengers who wasn't feeling well when he entered the ship."

Yamada despaired. Why did she have to tell them?!

"I was wondering where the captain had run off to," Aizen spoke now, easy smile on his face."It's nice to officially meet you, Unohana-sencho. I'm Aizen Sousuke, a traveler."

"A pleasure." Unohana smiled, eyes going to the last guest she had yet to greet."And I don't believe I've met the mister in the back either. Would you mind giving me your name so I may better refer to you?"

"Huh?!" Grimmjow's eyes snapped to her. He stared at her irritating smile, clicking his tongue and then turning his head away."Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez," he mumbled in response.

Unohana picked up on his foreign roots instantly and responded in kind."Nice to meet you, Jaegerjaquez-sama. I hope everyone has a comfortable stay."

Grimmjow clicked his tongue again at that statement, a small snort exiting him that had Yamada flinching and Nanao's eyes narrowing. Aizen just kept a pleasant smile on his face, cataloguing everyones names in his mind.

He would have to get the names of the man in the corner of the room and the man in the sick bay later so he could even more properly organize his thoughts. For now, he had six characters to work with and any one of them could working for Urahara. There was also the possibility that none of them were working for Urahara and there was a seventh passenger aboard hidden away somewhere. He would have to snoop around the ship later to figure out if that theory was correct.

At the moment, he couldn't make any clear inferences as to who was working under his thumb. The captain or co-captain were the least suspicious simply because of the longevity of which they had been sailing on this ship. Urahara would've had to proposition them with something worthwhile for them to seek out the dangers of the Undead Sea. But it wasn't impossible, because Urahara was that unpredictable.

This left the four passengers. The least likely of the four was Ise Nanao, because Urahara didn't deal with the military. Not impossible, of course. Perhaps he knew Aizen would show up and had her pose as a military officer just to throw him off track. He would do something that vile.

Besides her, he had the two foils of the skittish man and Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez with the short fuse. Either could be a viable option. Urahara could've sent Grimmjow because he stood out too much to throw Aizen off into thinking that he would never send someone so flashy. He could've also sent the skittish man exactly because he couldn't hide his nervousness to make Aizen think he would never send someone so unskilled.

There was also the question of the patient in the sickbay. There was no way Urahara didn't know about this ships healing properties. So, he could've sent the man because he could pretend to stay in the sickbay and explore the ship more freely later because no one would think to look for him, simply assuming he would be in bed the whole trip. Depending on if he continued playing sick or not, he could be the prime suspect.

Regardless, Aizen would succeed and Urahara would fail. No amount of his foolish tricks could stop him this time.

"Ise-sama, shall I take you to the deck now?" Isane asked, snapping Aizen out of his haze. Unohana had already left, leaving everyone else to disperse.

"Yes, that would be appreciated," Nanao responded with a nod, standing up to follow the co-captain.

"May I tag along as well?" Aizen asked, getting up.

"Of course, Aizen-sama," Isane responded.

Behind them, Grimmjow stormed away with a huff and Yamada followed shortly after him at a bullet-like speed. His nerves were out of control as all he could think of was informing Ichigo of what he discovered while the other was asleep.

And so, everyone parted ways.  
  


* * *

  
  
Ichigo tossed and turned in bed, sweat building up along his body as he twitched irritably. His brow pinched together in his sleep as a groan passed through his lips.

Someone, something, was calling out to him. Hands grabbed at him, dragging him to and fro like they wanted to show him something, but weren't sure where it was. His body was pulled and stretched as an endless amount of hands kept holding and tugging.

He was suffocated by the feeling, yet he could still breathe just fine. Muffled voices began to call out to him, some speaking louder than others, yet he couldn't make out a thing any of them were saying. Their voices were so clear, yet completely unclear at the same time. He struggled against them all, trying to call out yet even his voice was muffled instantly. Suddenly, through it all, a voice clearly cut through all his agony.

_"You must find them, Kurosaki-san. There's a daemon aboard this ship you must kill. Find them quickly. Before it's too late..."_

Ichigo suddenly gasped awake, sitting up in his bed with a start. He clutched at his chest, eyes wide as he attempted to calm himself down.

Then Yamada came bursting in looking as startled and fearful as he did."Ichigo-san, we have a problem!"  
  



	2. Slow and Simple

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> why the fuck do I keep writing Princess of Redemption instead of Rejection. It's the damn title of the story like wtf hands

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me *ripping a fat joint*: so the ship can take them from one port to another in three days, ya see
> 
> readers: uh huh...
> 
> me: and there are only, like, two people manning the ship...plus they're carrying other cargo and it's a pretty phat ship
> 
> readers: wtf

The words Ichigo had heard so clearly wouldn't leave his head. They swarmed in mind in a eery cantor which put him on edge.

_There's a daemon aboard this ship you must kill..._

A daemon? Such creatures were straight out of myths and legends. Yet for some reason, Ichigo couldn't ignore those words. Was it possible such a creature was aboard this ship with them? Even if that was the case, what could Ichigo do about it? But something told he that he didn't need to fear, that he had the strength to defeat such a creature.

But a daemon of all things...

"Ichigo-san, are you listening?!" Yamada yelled at him in that shrill, fear laced voice of his. He was in Ichigo's face instantly, eyes blown wide as he tried to get Ichigo's attention.

"Sorry, Hanatarou-kun, give me a second." Ichigo rubbed his head, the brief throbbing pain he felt there slowly dissipating. He hunched over, feeling at the bandaged wound at his side."...Huh?"

Ichigo looked down, not believing what he felt. But sure enough, that was where his wound was. He remembers the heavy blow he was given as a spear drove clear through his side, yet there was barely even a gash left its its place. The enormous amounts of pain he was supposed to be feeling, too, was almost nonexistent. He felt perfectly fine sitting up like this.

"What's wrong, Ichigo-san?" Yamada asked, looking from him to his wound."Does it hurt? Should I ask Unohana-sencho for something to ease the pain?"

"No..." Ichigo responded, clutching at his wound one last time before looking back up."It doesn't hurt. It-It's almost finished healing."

"What do you mean?" Yamada questioned back."It was such a big wound and their was blood everywhere...Why are your bandages practically clean? It's only been a couple hours since you were patched up!"

"I don't know," Ichigo responded, a careless tone to his voice."I guess all we can do this thank the Gods. Anyways, where are my clothes? I'm getting cold."

"Right! One second, Ichigo-san!" Yamada turned around, grabbing the clothes Unohana had left for Ichigo on one the bed beside the one Ichigo was currently inhabiting."Your clothes were all tore and bloody, so Unohana-sencho was kind enough to loan us some which had been sitting around. Please see if these will do, Ichigo-san."

What Ichigo was handed was a hakama with a grey bottom and black top. He began putting it on, finding he would have antiquate room to slide his sword through the clothes."So, what urgent news was it you had to tell me, Hanatarou-kun?" Ichigo asked, both of the mens backs turned to one another as he dressed.

"Right!" Yamada jumped, turning around to Ichigo to look at him urgently as he finished tying off his bottoms."This is bad, Ichigo-san! The Lieutenant General of the 8th Division is here on the ship with us! If she finds out you're here, it'll be a blood bath!"

"8th Division..." Ichigo mumbled off, finishing fixing his clothes."Who was that again?"

"Ise Nanao! She works directly under General Kyouraku Shunsui!" Yamada practically shouted back in response to Ichigo's nonchalance. Ever since he had arrived, it had been like something else was going on in Ichigo's mind."Do you know what'll happen if she finds us?! She wasn't just carrying a sword, but a gun as well! Even you can't defend against a gun, Ichigo-san!"

"That _is_ a problem..." Ichigo responded, mind now at work as he remembered exactly who Ise Nanao was."It's not like we're prepared for a fight either. Even if we were to hope to capture Ise-chujou, we would have to take control of the ship. No one would sit by while a couple rebel's attack an officer of the military."

"What do we do?!" Yamada wailed, hands scratching through his hair."I thought we would be safe once we boarded the ship! What if they had been waiting for us this whole time?!"

"Calm down, Hanatarou-kun," Ichigo said to him, putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder."I doubt they planned this. If that were the case, there would be military officers swarming the whole ship by now."

"B-But..."

"It'll be fine." Ichigo squeezed his shoulder, reassuring smile on his face."All we have to do is keep telling people I'm injured and can't get out of bed. No one has any reason to come here to see me anyways. We'll just be doing what I would've done even if I wasn't healed. You can do that, can't you, Hanatarou-kun?"

Yamada nodded his head."Okay...Okay, I got it, Ichigo-san! Leave it to me!"

Ichigo was counting on him and Yamada couldn't possibly let him down. Not after everything he had done for him. Ichigo was the hope their small rebel group needed, the figurehead for the revolution that was already in the works. He couldn't let him down.

"Thank you, Hanatarou-kun." Ichigo smiled at him."I knew I could count on you. But just in case things go south, could you tell me about all the people on the boat? Was anyone carrying any weapons?"

Yamada shook his head."No, none other than Ise-chujou by what I could see." He thought off, light bulb then going off in his head."Right, Ichigo-san, here!"

He handed the man his boarding pass.

"Huh?" Ichigo stared down at the thing."A boarding pass? Why are you giving this to me?"

"Unohana-sencho said for us to keep them on our person at all times once we enter the Undead Sea. And also, not to leave your room under any circumstance tomorrow night."

"Right..." The Undead Sea, huh? Ichigo had almost forgotten about the myth he had heard about this ship and the journey they were taking. Could it somehow be related to the daemon he heard about? "Thank you, Hanatarou-kun. I'll be sure to remember that tomorrow. Now, about the rest of the passengers..."  
  


* * *

  
  
"Right up here, Aizen-sama, Ise-sama," Isane motioned, opening a door to the outside courteously.

Both Aizen and Nanao stepped out onto the deck, wind already at work blowing their clothes and hair forwards to briefly blind them. There was nothing but sea and waves in front of them for endless miles. The crisp, salty smell of the ocean permeated the air in a familiar way.

"This here is my favorite spot to go." Isane pointed out to the bow of the ship where figurehead of the orange-haired woman was spread out and crashing against the waves below.

"Magnificent," Aizen remarked, looking all around the ship's deck."What wonderful craftsmanship."

"It _is_ a sight to behold," Nanao agreed, following Isane to the bow of the ship."For a ship sailing through the Undead Sea, I thought it may have more of a stench of death—much like the battlefield—but I cannot smell such things aboard this ship. It almost feels like it's breathing life."

"You feel that as well, Ise-sama?" Isane spoke to her with a smile."That's one of the reasons I was so attracted to this ship. It feels like the princess is really protecting us throughout our journey." She pointedly looked to the figurehead in front of them.

"Perhaps she is," Aizen said with a pleasant smile, walking back over to the two ladies."I've heard plenty of stories about spirits of the dead protecting vessels like this. I wouldn't be surprised if the princess was alive through this ship, wishing us safe travels."

"I hope so..." Nanao mumbled, walking over to the side of the ship to look over the water crashing below them."I need to get to the Main Port no matter what."

Isane and Aizen looked to each other briefly, then walked over to stand on either side of Nanao. Aizen, on her right, spoke first."If it's not too rude to ask, Ise-san, why have you decided to journey on the Princess of Rejection? As Lieutenant General of the 8th Division, I would think it odd for you to be traveling alone, especially with all the current uproar about a rebel group looking to overthrow the military. It must be a great risk to travel alone at this time."

"I was curious as well," Isane said."But you don't have to answer if you don't wish to, Ise-sama. We both understand the confidentiality that comes with your position."

"It's fine, Kotetsu-sencho, Aizen-san. I don't mind telling you," Nanao responded."My trip is mainly for personal reasons anyways. Kyouraku Shunsui, the current acting General and one of my blood relatives, recently informed me of Lieutenant General of the 1st Division, Ukitake Juushirou's, death."

Isane gasped and Aizen's eyes widened at her words. Even without knowing exactly who Ukitake was, they could clearly see the anguish written all over Nanao's face and felt deeply for her. This death affected her closely.

Nanao continued."He had been ill sometime now and had been on bed rest the past couple months. Two weeks ago he breathed his last." Nanao breathed out a long, shaky breath."Ukitake-chujou was a close friend of Kyouraku-taisho's and like family to me. I, at this time, most of all want to see that Kyouraku-taisho gets through this. We...as much as it pains me to say, don't have the time to properly mourn Ukitake-chujou's death with the current rebel movement. I don't want to see Kyouraku-taisho killed next, so I must see him as soon as possible."

"I..." Isane had tears in her eyes, small orbs falling in thin lines which she quickly tried to wipe away."I'm so sorry for your loss, Ise-sama. I truly hope you can see him as soon as possible..." She continued wiping her tears away as they continued to pour."I'm sorry for my indecent display."

"It's alright, Kotetsu-sencho," Nanao responded with a smile, sadness still lingering but now a bit of calm care also in her gaze. She moved a soothing hand up to press against her back."It makes me happy that there are still people as kind and empathetic as you still in this world. It gives me hope."

"It almost makes me think Kotetsu-sencho is the princess aboard this ship," Aizen joked, causing the two of them to chuckle in response.

"Oh please, I'm not that magical..." Isane smiled at them, wiping away the last of her tears."You should see Unohana-sencho when she's helping a patient in the sickbay. Not only is she a great sailor, but a great doctor as well!"

"Ah, so we have two magicians on our hands!" Nanao joked with her, smile becoming more and more genuine.

"This'll make great research material," Aizen responded, pulling out the small notebook in his coat pocket just to play along.

"Oh, please, Ise-sama, Aizen-sama!" Isane laughed at the both of them and their ridiculous antics.

"Please feel free to call me more casually, Kotetsu-sencho," Nanao spoke to the co-captain, figure now more relaxed as she sat up and away from the side of the boat.

Aizen followed her upwards."Yes, me as well." He smiled at the two of them."We are fine friends now, are we not?"

"Y-Yes, of course, Aizen-kun, Ise-kun!" Isane smiled at the two of them, tears welling up in her eyes ones again."Ah, how embarrassing!" she remarked, brushing away the tears again."I'm not usually like this, I assure you!"

They both chuckled, Nanao's hand going to pat her back once again. From a distance, Unohana watched the interaction with a warm smile on her face.

"Good for you, Kotetsu-sencho," she whispered, disappearing back inside the ship.  
  


* * *

  
  
Aizen rested on his bed, candlelight flickering and illuminating the room as he was left deep in his thoughts. That night, at dinner, only Nanao and Grimmjow had been present. The skittish man whom Aizen still hadn't a name for had gone off to the sickbay with food for the man resting there. He wasn't sure yet if the two of them were comrades or strangers and didn't have the time to ask the man any questions before he hurried off with a fearful look on his face.

After his talk with Isane and Nanao on the deck, Aizen was sure that the Lieutenant General was not the person he was looking for, nor was Isane. Nanao's story was not only believable and factual, but the emotions she had silently shown on the deck were enough to convince him of her pure intentions. The same was to be said about Isane, but only because she was too easy sway. The one characteristic Aizen knew Urahara's companion wouldn't have was a nature that was easy to sway. That irritating man knew all to well how good Aizen was at swaying others, so he would never send someone so weak willed.

This didn't mean the captain wasn't an option. There was also the short fused man, Grimmjow, to consider. He had sat away from them during dinner, grumbling and finishing his meal at record pace before leaving them. Any chance Aizen had at conversation was quickly shot down with only a glare. He would need to try better to speak with him tomorrow so he could hopefully further thin his list of suspects. Four was still too many. Plus there was still the possibility of a stowaway.

Aizen sat up off his bed, pulling a thick black trench coat over his shoulders before creakily exiting his cabin. He had mentioned to Isane and Nanao about his desire to explore the ship both during the day and at night for research, so they both knew to listen to him and he was sure Unohana had been informed by Isane, so Aizen was in the clear to search the ship for any unexpected parties at his leisure.

Urahara should really know better, if he had someone hiding out this late in the game.  
  


* * *

  
  
Nanao startled at she heard a door nearby open and shut, then quickly relaxing as she realized it was just Aizen leaving his cabin to explore the ship. This late at night, she knew she should be in bed resting but the first night of any journey at sea was when she got seasick, especially when trapped in an enclosed cabin like this.

So part of her was waiting for the inevitable queasiness of her stomach with a bucket by her bed, but , for some odd reason, she felt completely fine. By now sickness should've overwhelmed her body as she disposed of her last couple meals but all she felt was an anxiousness of such a phenomenon not occurring yet. She couldn't understand why, because there was no possible way her seasickness could be cured this late in life.

Suddenly a loud bang was heard from the cabin next to her. It was not loud enough to move her into action yet not soft enough to brush away as the rumbling sea. The man in the cabin to her right was Grimmjow, so she was sure that irritable man was just making a ruckus late at night until she suddenly heard him shouting and grumbling.

"'Just wait' he says! Are you kidding me?!" The man seemed to be yelling to himself, Nanao deduced."The fucking entire military could be waiting for us at the Main Port and all he would say is 'just wait' or 'don't worry' that fucking bastard. I'm not gonna get fucking arrested!"

Nanao's eyes widened at his words and she hastily pressed her face closer to the wall separating them and strained to hear anything else. But as much as she tried to listen, it seemed he had gone back to quietly grumbling to himself and she couldn't make out a single word he said.

The military? Fearful of getting arrested? Was he planning on doing something on this ship worthy of getting himself arrested by the military?

Nanao's thoughts went back to Aizen's words before and about how he spoke of the dangers of her traveling alone at such a time. The rebels could make a move at any time in an attempt to get an upper hand on the military. They were building up more and more forces and just waiting for a chance to officially declare war. Could this man be a rebel spy sent here to kill or capture her?

Nanao's eyes widened further and she backed away, sitting back on her bed in disbelief. She had heard rumor of one of the leaders of the rebel army, a man with bright, oddly colored hair and a strong personality. They spoke of his fearless combat abilities and the possibilities of him having foreign roots because of his roots. Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, if that was even his real name, must be that man. He fit the look perfectly and clearly he was after _something_ on this ship.

Was there some sort of precious cargo he was here to steal? Or perhaps just blow up the ship in whole, since it was carrying military supplies? Or was he really here for her, as she thought? With both her and Ukitake out of the picture, Shunsui surely wouldn't be able to recover from the shock. That's when the rebels would finally strike.

Whatever Grimmjow's mission was on this ship, Nanao wouldn't let him see it through. For the sake of everyone on this ship, for Isane and Aizen's sake, for the sake of her country, she would stop him.  
  


* * *

  
  
Ichigo tossed and turned in his sleep once again. Hands, endless amounts of hands swarmed and grabbed at his body. He groaned and tossed around, trying to push them away as best he could. Muffled, unidentifiable voices screamed and yelled at him, yet he couldn't understand a word they were saying.

His body was stretched and strained by hands all seeking to move in different directions. Some seemed to be calling out to him now, caressing him in an attempt at enticing him to listen. Ichigo yelled back at them, now able to make his own voice heard.

"What do you want?!" he called into the abyss."Where are you trying to take me?!"

The hands just kept pressing and whispering and yelling at him until it felt like his head was splitting open and his body was tearing apart. Ichigo struggled harder as he felt like he was drowning and suffocating under the weight of all the hands and arms which grabbed at him.

Suddenly he was gasping awake, hands clutching at the sheets as he tried to calm his body down once again. The same place, the same dream...This couldn't be normal, he deduced. Someone, or something, was messing with him. A daemon...could such a creature really exist? At this point, Ichigo could do nothing but believe in those words.

There was some kind of daemon aboard this ship and he needed to kill it before anything worse happened to him or anyone on this ship. The Undead Sea was already a big enough problem to deal with.  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No one:  
> Aizen: what magnificent craftsmanship
> 
> What a goddamn nerd. Evil nerd. Loser nerd, one might say. 
> 
> To the one person reading this, feel free to meme the hell out of this story. Even though it's one of my favorite pieces, I have no respect for it lol. I just wanna roast the hell out of it.


	3. Don't Reject Us, Orihime-sama

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My sensors indicate that you are indeed a weenie

"Good morning, Yamada-sama," Isane greeted the shorter man, other jumping at her sudden greeting.

"K-Kotetsu-sencho! Good morning!" Yamada shakily greeted, bowing lowly and almost dropping the food in his hands.

Isane helped him steady himself before they continued walking, now side by side."Will you be joining us for breakfast this morning?" she asked him, turning her body so she could open the door to the main hall with her back.

"Ah, yes!" Yamada responded, following after her and glancing around the room. He followed Isane to where Aizen and Nanao were already sitting, nerves spiking the moment he saw the Lieutenant General. Isane sat across from them facing Nanao."Um..." Yamada hesitantly sat on her right across from Aizen.

"Good morning." The man across from him smiled kindly, putting his utensils down to greet him. Yamada felt himself relax slightly at his calming nature."I don't believe I caught your name?"

"O-Oh, uh, Yamada Hanatarou." Yamada bowed at him, glancing shakily at Nanao and being filled with a small bit of relief that she didn't react to his name."Nice to meet you..."

"Nice to meet you as well, Yamada-san." Aizen continued smiling."I heard you were taking care of our other passenger who's been in the sickbay."

"Yes, I have..."

"Is he an acquaintance of yours?" Aizen questioned casually, going back to poking at his food.

"A-Ah, no, uh, we ran into each other when I was on my way here," Yamada explained shakily, nervous hands moving his food around as he couldn't keep his eyes on anyone for longer than a second."He, uh, was injured when I met him. A-Apparently he was hurt by a wild animal on his way over to the ship. I-I wasn't sure he would be able to make it, but Unohana-sencho was a great help."

"I see." Aizen's eyes narrow behind his glasses. Suspicious. Everything about that story reeked. Either the "sick patient" was lying to Yamada or they were working together. Either way, it reeked.

"She's an excellent doctor, right, Yamada-sama!" Isane spoke with glee."You came to the right place taking him onto the ship instead of the mainland."

"So the sick patient, um..."

"S-Shiba Ichigo," Yamada responded to Aizen after shakily deciding to use Ichigo's fathers last name just in case Nanao recognized. It caused Aizen to pause while Isane startled at the name.

She had thought his last name was Kurosaki? Had he not wanted to use that name? Well, it was none of her business what sort of fake or real name he wanted to don. She had to make sure to respect his wishes and call him Shiba-sama from here on.

"Shiba..." Aizen's eyes widened as his face threatened to break out into a maniac grin.

Suddenly the door to the main hall opened with a loud slam as Grimmjow entered. The atmosphere got tense instantly as both parties stared at one another. Yamada began sweating bullets at the air in the room. With one last glare, Grimmjow clicked his tongue and moved to sit at one of the tables in the corner of the room. Nanao eyed him over Aizen's shoulder.

All the while Aizen's mind was whirling out of control. Shiba...Shiba...a Shiba was on the ship with him. With a Shiba here, everything was now perfectly clear to Aizen. Urahara was planning on using the Shiba to find Benten's arm. As long as they shared the same blood, he was sure to be able to find it even in the Undead Sea.

It was no wonder he was hiding, too, and the reason behind getting himself injured was clear. Ichigo must've known about the ships healing properties and hid out in the sickbay. Now, once they entered the Undead Sea, he would be able to roam about freely without anyone seeing him to find the arm. It mattered little if he was actually working for Urahara or independent at this point. Aizen would use him to get to Benten's arm before Urahara.

He would win.

"How did you sleep last night, Ise-kun?" Isane asked, turning both Nanao and Aizen's attention back on her."No seasickness, right?" She had a proud smile on her face as she spoke.

"No, none," Nanao responded, brow furrowed. She was sure to keep her body faced towards Grimmjow."It was odd. Ever since I was a child I've experienced seasickness my first night at sea, but oddly enough I was perfectly fine last night."

"It's because of the princess! It has to be!" Isane responded excitably."She heals all the injuries on this ship, no matter how big!"

"Princess?" Yamada questioned.

"You're speaking of Orihime-sama, correct, Kotetsu-sencho?" Aizen asked."The women on the figurehead?"

"Yes, her, Aizen-kun!" Isane jumped."You're familiar with the story?"

"Of course. I've done my research before boarding this ship." Aizen rested against the table, pushing his glasses up."Let's see...Many, many centuries ago a princess with sparkling orange hair by the name of Orihime-sama boarded this ship to journey to the kingdom by which her brotheled lived. Orihime-sama was known to be a legendary healer whose powers held a commanding weight over the two kingdoms.

"The marriage was arranged so that the two nations could make peace after many years of war, but Orihime-sama dreamed of marrying someone she loved. Aboard the ship she suddenly fell ill and was nursed back to health by one of the resident ship-hands on the vessel. He was a shabby, unskilled man ill prepared to take care of Orihime-sama, yet he still earnestly tried his best at healing her with a passion Orihime-sama fell in love with. The ship-hand cured Orihime-sama and, during that time, fell in love with her beauty and strong-willed nature.

"The two met in secret and fell more deeply in love with one another as the voyage continued. But Orihime-sama was to be married to the powerful prince of their rival kingdom. The two lovers were found out and pulled apart, forbidden from seeing one another ever again. Orihime-sama was outraged and protested their separation, not wanting to see the ship-hand hurt because of her.

"She quickly became depressed the more time passed away from her lover and demanded to see the ship-hand. Each demand was met with rejection. One night, she broke out of her room and searched all throughout the ship for her lover but didn't find him. Struck with grief and anger, she stood atop the ships bow and cried out to the people on the boat, telling them if they didn't bring out the ship-hand then she would jump.

"The people aboard the ship pleaded and begged for Orihime-sama to come down, yet never brought the ship-hand out. Hours passed and they still did not bring the ship-hand out. Orihime-sama, now completely filled with hopelessness, shouted out to the people on the deck 'I reject my marriage! I reject my name! I reject all of you who cannot let me love freely! And all who have been rejected by me shall fall into hell!' Then she jumped off the ship, her body never to be found, just as the ship-hand before her.

"It's said that all the people aboard the ship with her, upon exiting, developed a sickly, incurable disease which slowly killed them overtime. The ship was then cursed as the Princess of Rejection, the only ship able to safely travel through the Undead Sea because of the magical healing properties Orihime-sama left on the ship once she died."

Aizen finished his tale, a heavy air silencing the party around him. Before anyone could say anything, Grimmjow's clanging steps were heard. He opened the door to leave just as roughly as he had stepping inside, closing it behind him with a loud slam.

Isane was the first to speak after his departure."That's exactly as I've heard it," she remarked."I'm surprised you know so much, Aizen-kun."

"As I said, I've done my research," Aizen responded."Otherworldly stories such as Orihime-sama's interest me greatly. You never know what is the truth or not."

"The supernatural is strange like that." Nanao nodded along, now able to relax slightly now that Grimmjow was gone. Still, she was worried."I don't believe strongly in such things, but even I know better than to think I can brave the Undead Sea without the talisman we have been given." 

"It certainly is a frightening place, isn't it, Yamada-san?" Aizen smiled to him, Yamada nodding along heatedly with his statement.

"I hope we'll be okay tonight..." he mumbled nervously, barely able to eat with the thick bundle of nerves in his stomach.

"Don't worry, Yamada-sama," Isane attempted to reassure him."Unohana-sencho and I have sailed through the Undead Sea many times now. I promise you nothing will happen to you as long as you follow our guidelines."

"O-Okay." Yamada absentmindedly clutched at the sash over his front where his boarding pass was held."Thank you, Kotetsu-sencho."

"Of course." She smiled."It's my job to make sure you all get to your destination safely and comfortably, after all!"  
  


* * *

  
  
Making sure Grimmjow was gone, and after seeing the nervous Yamada off in the main hall, Nanao stopped Aizen and Isane from leaving to go off and enjoy their day.

"What seems to be the matter, Ise-kun?" Aizen asked, looking to her with question in his eyes."You've been rather skittish since this morning."

Nanao looked around one last time, pulling her two new friends close and whispering to them in a calm, orderly tone."I have reason to believe a rebel spy is aboard this ship."

Isane gasped, Aizen's eyes widening along with hers."A-A rebel?! Aboard our ship?"

"Yes," Nanao nodded.

"Have you figured out who they are?" Aizen asked, leaning closer."If you have, then we should tell the others right away and contain them."

Isane nodded along with him, nerves spiking out of control. She thought this would've been a fun journey with so many passengers onboard. Plus, she had met Aizen and Nanao. They were such nice people. She didn't want anything to happen to them.

"No, we can't tell anyone else," Nanao responded."If we were to, it would create mass panic. I don't want Jaegerjaquez-san to find out and take one of us hostage. As long as he believes he hasn't been found out, he wont blindly attack anyone on this ship."

"Jaegerjaquez-sama?" Isane questioned with a maddening fright."Is he the rebel?!"

"Yes." Nanao clutched the sword which rested at her side."So, if possible, try to stay away from him as best you can. I still haven't figured out why exactly he's on this ship or what plans he has for us or the rest of the ship. It's best to be on guard at all times from here on."

"And what of you, Ise-kun?" Aizen asked."What will you be doing during this time? There's still another night at sea before we reach the Main Port."

"Aizen-kun's right!" Isane backed Aizen."What if he's after you, Ise-kun? I don't want to see you get hurt defending us, especially since you need to see to your General."

Nanao wracked her brain, then looking to Isane."When Jaegerjaquez-san arrived at the dock, did you notice if he was carrying any weapons, Kotetsu-sencho? Perhaps a sword or even a gun?"

"No." Isane shook her head."All Jaegerjaquez-sama had on his person was a small rucksack. Nothing unusual."

Nanao's brows came together, thinking hard. It was unusual for someone to walk into enemy territory without any sort of weapon. Of course, Grimmjow could be concealing a knife or a gun somewhere on his person or in his carry-on. Still, if he knew Nanao was aboard, he should've been carrying a sword on his person. Or, perhaps, did he think his combat abilities so much greater than hers that he didn't even bother bringing such a weapon?

A hot wave of rage ran through Nanao. He was just mocking her. Such insolence she would never tolerant. Grimmjow would regret making an enemy out of her. She would see to it that he was turned in to the military and hanged for his crimes to showcase to all the rebels threatening them what would happen if they continued opposing them.

Nanao came back to herself, speaking once more to Aizen and Isane."He could be concealing a weapon on his person and see to pursue me," she explained."I will be fully armed at all times, worry not, Kotetsu-sencho. And Aizen-kun, if you would be so kind, I would like for the two of us to stay close to one another the rest of the day. Kotetsu-sencho has work she must attend to, so if the two of us remain together then Jaegerjaquez-san will be less prone to attack with so many witnesses."

"I see your point..." Aizen thought off, silently cursing to himself. He had hoped to use today to head over to the sickbay and get a read on Ichigo, perhaps even become companions with him. But it would seem suspicious if he refused Nanao's help."Alright, I understand, Ise-kun. If it's fine with you, I'll travel along with you the rest of the day. It will be nice to have someone to talk to while we idle away our time."

Thanks to this, though, Aizen was able to mentally cross off Grimmjow's name on his list of suspects. He clearly had other motives of being here as a rebel spy and wasn't concerned about the arm. Ichigo was still at the top of his list of suspects, next being Yamada and then the captain. If it wasn't the very Shiba which would lead them to the arm, then it would probably be Yamada who was clearly trying to make friends with Ichigo.

"Thank you, Aizen-kun." Nanao smiled at him.

"I'm so sorry I can't be with you at this time, Ise-kun, Aizen-kun, but I have my duties." Isane bowed her head."If it's alright with you, Ise-kun, I'll be sure to inform Unohana-sencho about the rebel so that she can be of help in anything happens."

"Yes, please do, Kotetsu-sencho. Thank you both so much for you cooperation." Nanao bowed deeply at the two of them."On behalf of the 8th Division, I, Lieutenant General Ise Nanao, thank you."

"It's no problem at all, Ise-kun," Aizen spoke to her in a soothing tone, smile on his face."Please raise your head. There is no need for such formality amongst friends."

Nanao did just that, smiling at the two people that looked back at her. Her hand absentmindedly clutched at her swords exposed hilt.

She had to protect everyone on this ship.  
  


* * *

  
  
Yamada walked back into the sickbay after breakfast to check up on Ichigo and bring him his breakfast. The rebel leader sat on the side of the bed he was previously sleeping in, bare feet touching the cold wooden floors, yet he didn't seem to mind.

"Ichigo-san, here's your breakfast," Yamada called to him, handing Ichigo the tray of food he had procured.

"Ah, thanks, Hanatarou-kun." Ichigo snapped out of his daze, taking the food and sitting up on the bed to begin eating."Did everything go alright at breakfast?"

"Yeah." Yamada nodded."I used your fathers name and Ise-san didn't seem to react at all, thank god..." His eyes then widened and sparkled remembering the story he heard at breakfast."Oh right, Ichigo-san, hear this! Apparently there's the spirit of a princess watching over this ship! That's why your arm was able to heal so fast!"

"Really?" Ichigo asked between bits, interest in what Yamada was saying growing mild as his thoughts went elsewhere. Still, he tried to keep up with his friends rambling.

"Yeah! Even Ise-san, who has gotten seasick since the day she was born, was perfectly fine!" Yamada exclaimed with enthusiasm."It's all thanks to Orihime-sama."

"Orihime-sama, huh..." Though such words left Ichigo's mouth, he couldn't really see to it that they held any weight.

Yamada noticed his lack of interest and quickly decided to change the topics."Right, Ichigo-san, we still haven't talked about what we're going to do once we reach the Main Port."

"What do you mean? Isn't it obvious?" Ichigo asked with a dumb expression on his face like he thought Yamada shared his thoughts."We'll head to headquarters right away and smack some sense into that damned Hirako."

"I thought you would say that..." Yamada mumbled off in despair."But Ichigo-san, do you really think they'll listen? I know you don't want anyone to get killed in this war, but this is Kyouraku-taisho we're talking about. If he falls, then all the south will follow with him. There's no way Hirako-sama will let such an opportunity pass."

"Then he'll just have to shut up and listen," Ichigo grumbled back, shoving a mouthful of food down his throat."We can just capture Kyouraku-taisho and just have him meet our demands. That way no one will be hurt. I'm not having him killed, even if it's the easier option."

Yamada sighed."There's no way Hirako-sama will listen to you..."

"What did you say?!" Ichigo snapped, yanking Yamada down to his level and rubbing against the top of his head."Whose side are you on again, huh?!"

"I give! I give!" Yamada cried out, trying to get away, but Ichigo was just too strong."I give, Ichigo-san!"

Ichigo let out a large huff, letting Yamada go."If I say I'm gonna do it, I'm gonna do it," he said with finality."Kyouraku Shunsui wont die."

Yamada nodded back, smile naturally blooming across his face at Ichigo's words. Before he joined the rebellion, he had wanted to be a doctor and save lots of people. That dream of his was never able to come true and even now he barely had any medical knowledge under his belt. But Ichigo had taught him that there was more than one way to save people. It wasn't all about fixing peoples physical injuries and illnesses.

Through Ichigo, Yamada learned of heart and how someone else's kindness could be another's saving grace. That's why, to Yamada, Ichigo would always be his savior and leader. The person to finally fix this country once and for all.

"Hanatarou-kun," Ichigo spoke, setting his tray of food aside now that he was finished with it."I'm leaving my cabin tonight."

Yamada's eyes promptly went wide with horror at his words."W-What?! No, Ichigo-san, you can't!" He shook wildly, clutching at the sash across his front."Do you not remember what Unohana-sencho said?! You shouldn't leave your cabin once we enter the Undead Sea! Your soul could be stolen, Ichigo-san!"

"I know," Ichigo responded, voice growing resolute in that way that let Yamada know that he wouldn't back down."But I have to go. There's a daemon aboard this ship."

"A d-daemon?!" Yamada questioned wildly, fear spreading rapidly throughout him."What do you mean, Ichigo-san?! A daemon? Aboard this ship? Don't tell me it's after us!"

"I don't know what it's after yet, Hanatarou-kun," Ichigo responded, not a single edge of fear or uncertainty in his voice. No, he was ready to take on this daemon."But we can't let such a beast roam throughout this ship. It could begin preying on the other passengers and I can't leave that be, even if one of them's our enemy."

Yamada stared at Ichigo's face, seeing his resolve and sighing deeply."I understand, Ichigo-san."

"Thank you, Hanatarou-kun." Ichigo smiled."Just stay in your cabin tonight and don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Lady luck's always been by my side, after all!"

But even with Ichigo's reassuring words, Yamada couldn't help but worry.  
  


* * *

  
  
Unohana walked out onto the ships deck, smiling to Grimmjow who turned to her as soon as she arrived. He stood at the very tip of the front of the ship, previously looking over the golden orange locks of Orihime-sama to the sea ahead.

"Why hello there, Jaegerjaquez-sama," Unohana greeted, pacing herself until she was a good distance away from the foreigner. Farther than one may think antiquate."Enjoying the sea breeze?"

His brow ticked, scowl easily making its way across his face."Don't try to act all friendly, women." Grimmjow's scowl then turned into a feral grin."Or should I say daemon?"

"My..." Unohana pulled up the sleeve of her haori, using it to cover her mouth."Are all half-daemon's this rude? I would've thought your parents taught you to be more respectful when speaking to a true daemon."

Grimmjow scoffed, look on his face darkening."Shut up. Don't act all high and mighty just because you've been alive a few centuries more than me. I hate people who act all righteous like you the most. It makes me want to knock that attitude right outta you!"

"My apologies, Jaegerjaquez-sama," Unohana responded with a small bow of the head."I didn't mean to offend."

"Like hell you didn't!" Grimmjow snapped back irritably."If you wanna fight so badly, I'll fight you right now, woman!"

"Please calm yourself, Jaegerjaquez-sama. You could damage the ship with that temper," Unohana responded back cooly. Her hands were now dropped at her sides, pose relaxed yet aura around her looking anything but. It made Grimmjow's survival instincts kick up."I was just curious as to what a half-daemon like yourself was doing acting so casually on my ship. You are aware this is my territory, correct? Most daemons would've killed you by now."

Grimmjow smirked."Like I would let them."

Unohana's expression didn't change and Grimmjow's smile slowly fell in response. Unohana waited expectantly for his response like he had no choice but to answer, because he didn't. This was her territory, so her word was final. If Grimmjow was to disrespect her wishes here, he was done for.

"Shit, this is why I didn't want to come here," Grimmjow grumbled, scratching a hand through his hair before looking back at Unohana's eerily plastered on smile and answering her question."You should know what's going on, right? We're not even in the Undead Sea yet and the air's already stinking. It's making me pissed off."

"Ah, yes. Benten-sama's arm, am I correct?" Unohana questioned."It will be _that night_ tonight. And what a lively crowd we have for such an occasion."

"Too many people," Grimmjow growled back in response."I just wanna kill them all. So goddamn annoying."

Unohana's eyes narrowed, a heavy, murderous pressure filling the air and putting Grimmjow on edge."Jaegerjaquez-sama, if you dare harm any passengers aboard my territory, I will personally see to it that you are killed. And if you dare to even lay a finger on my co-captain, I promise you a long, torturous life until your last dying breath."

Grimmjow shuddered, hairs on end as Unohana's threat sunk into him. He attempted to brush it off."I got it, okay? I was already told not to touch anyone anyways, and even I know better, as much as that pisses me off."

"Yes..." Unohana's gaze moved down from Grimmjow's face to the collar around his neck."I see as much."

"Hah?! It's not like that!" Grimmjow shouted back at her."I have no lord! I just needed to wear this to suppress my form! My daemon form stands out too much!"

"I understand such worries very much, Jaegerjaquez-sama," Unohana responded, not the least bit fazed."I, too, have such a device on my person."

"What?" Grimmjow's eyes widened."Don't tell me that bastard—"

The door to the deck slammed open, Isane quickly looking the two of them over with wide, fearful eyes. She ran forward without hesitation.

"Unohana-sencho!" she called.

"It looks like we'll have to finish this conversation at a later date, Jaegerjaquez-sama," Unohana spoke to him with a smile before during around to greet her co-captain.

"Don't count on it, daemon," Grimmjow grumbled back, passing by the two captains with a huff and not even bothering to close the door to the deck which Isane had opened so hastily.

The two captains both watched him go with different thoughts in their minds.

_Enemy_

and

_Child._   
  


* * *

  
  
The rest of the day on the ship passed idly, but Nanao couldn't help but feel anxious the whole time. She discretely kept an eye out for Grimmjow as she perused the ship with Aizen, weary of any sudden moves he may make. But something told her that he wouldn't move during daytime. No, he was probably planning on making his move at night when they were soundly asleep and unaware that someone would be ballsy enough to leave their cabin while they were in the Undead Sea.

After dinner, everyone went their separate ways with a heavy air in the room. Isane had reminded everyone once again to stay in their cabins and keep their boarding passes with them at all times, which only made the air thicker with tension. Before she left, she gave Nanao one last reassuring smile, hoping to ease her worries before she went back to her duties.

Nanao watched closely as Grimmjow left the main hall, getting up to follow him."We'll have to go our separate ways from here, Aizen-kun. Have a good nights sleep." In her eyes, she was praying for him to stay safe.

Aizen smiled back, secretly saying the same."Yes, you as well, Ise-kun."

She promptly left, following Grimmjow outside and down the hall towards the passengers cabins. She noted how, for such a boisterous and irritable man, how quiet his steps were.

"Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez-san," she called out to him, pausing in the middle of the hall.

He did as well, during around to greet her with a glare."What the hell do _you_ want now? I swear this day just keeps getting more and more irritating."

"I know what you're trying to do on this ship, and I wont let you complete your mission," Nanao stated clearly, body radiating confidence as she threateningly tilted her sword to the side in a show of intent."You will fail."

Grimmjow raised an eyebrow."Hah?! You're talking real big for just some human." He took a step forward, not a single bit of hesitation even when unarmed. He got close to Nanao's face with a feral grin."I accept the challenge. Go ahead and try to stop me if you can, human. Don't blame me if by the end of the night you're crying and running back to mommy."

Nanao's eyes hardened, yet she didn't back down from him. As expected, he would be making his move tonight."You're truly a disgrace of a human being, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez-san. I can't wait for the day you rot in a jail cell."

"Ha! Like I'd ever let that happen." Grimmjow backed away with an irritating cackle. He turned around, walking away with a small wave."Go ahead and try your worst, women. Next time we meet, don't expect me to be so kind."

Nanao watched him go, grip on her sword tighter. She had seen many battles in her lifetime. This one would be nothing.  
  


* * *

  
  
Aizen didn't go back to his cabin that night. No, he needed to keep idle near Shiba Ichigo so he wouldn't lose track of him once they entered the Undead Sea. With Nanao staying close to him the whole day, he had no chance to properly greet Ichigo and the time he had between dinner and reaching the Undead Sea wasn't enough to establish a proper bond. Sure, he could follow Ichigo along acting clueless, but if Aizen knew enough about the Shiba clan, he knew that Ichigo would be stubborn about having him stay in his cabin. There was also the possibility of him working for Urahara, which would mean he probably knew to watch out for him.

So, Aizen waited in a room directly next to the sickbay, keeping a close ear to the space between them to listen for any movement. Time passed like that and they were soon reaching the hour they would enter the Undead Sea. If Ichigo didn't step outside of his cabin before then, Aizen would need to take drastic measures and enter the sickbay before then, because he needed to make sure he wouldn't lose Ichigo. If possible, he would like to avoid such an outcome.

And just his luck, Ichigo left his cabin before they entered the Undead Sea. Aizen's grin grew feral as he waited a few seconds before exiting the room he was in to follow Ichigo. Always a few feet behind, he made sure to keep his distance and hide himself just far enough to be able to properly follow Ichigo and see which paths he chose to take.

Aizen couldn't tell what Ichigo seemed to be doing by his movements or where he planned on going but followed him all the same. This was the man who would lead him to Benten's arm and that's all he needed to remember.

Slowly the air in the boat began to shift and grow heavy, a foul stench entering it and alerting Aizen that the Princess of Rejection was now entering the Undead Sea. He made haste to make sure he was in the same room as Ichigo as they entered. Just as they did finally reach the Undead Sea, Ichigo opened the door in front of him and stepped through.

Aizen was quick to follow, finding—to his horror—that the room he stepped into had completely changed. This was not part of the Princess of Rejection. He had lost Ichigo.

Just as he began to think up his next plan of action, the door to his left opened and Nanao stepped through with determination. Her steps, though, were quickly halted upon seeing Aizen.

"Aizen-kun? What are you doing here?" she questioned, moving closer to him and then pausing and looking around, realizing that this wasn't the hall she was supposed to have exited in."Huh? Where are we? I just stepped out of my cabin because I heard Grimmjow leave and..."

_Great_ , Aizen thought with a sigh. _Now we have two more people running around this nightmare._  
  


* * *

  
  
Yamada paced back and forth in his cabin, hands nervously fidgeting along with his short strides as he attempted to reason with his own mind.

Ichigo would be fine. He was a strong fighter and good leader. He had done much more crazier things and hadn't died yet. He would be fine, right? Yamada would only get in the way in a battle against a daemon. But still, Yamada couldn't help but worry.

Ichigo hadn't told anyone else about this daemon, so no one would know to go looking for him, especially when they were in the Undead Sea. If Ichigo was injured during his battle, there would be no one to attend to him.

Gulping thickly, Yamada knew what he needed to do. He clutched his sash close to his chest, boarding pass made to protect him inside. With one last breath, Yamada reached for the door out of his cabin and yanked it open.

Arms. That was the first thing Yamada saw. Arms strung up on the ceiling, arms in piles on the floor and tables. Arms. Bloody arms.

"My, it looks like somebody decided to step into our territory this time," spoke a fox. An actual fox casually resting on the shoulder of the man who stood in the middle of the room, hatchet in hand."Quite the brave fellow, aren't you?"

"F-Fox..." Yamada stuttered out."A-A talking f-fox!"

"Someone's here?" the man the fox was resting on questioned, body slowly turning towards Yamada.

Poles. There were poles stuck in his body. His body...

Yamada shrieked loudly and then promptly blacked out, falling to the floor with a loud thud.  
  


* * *

  
  
Unohana stood on the ships deck, overlooking the water below and the vast amount of sea they had to finish traversing to leave the Undead Sea. Looking over the side of the ship at the water, all she saw was waves of grey crashing up against the sides of the ship. Occasionally, some type of body part, usually a face, could be seen amongst the deep grey but besides that the water was simply dull.

She looked back up, taking a wide breath with closed eyes."It looks like we have many naughty passengers aboard the ship this trip," she spoke to herself, opening her eyes once again."I wonder how many will die this time..."

Or how many wouldn't.

"Friend or foe...I look forward to seeing what decisions you will make, Kotetsu-sencho."  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I knew I would hate myself in the future for using Jaegerjaquez-san. And I do. Grimmjow's nice, Grimmjow's easy. Jaegerjaquez is terrible to type out god it hurts.
> 
> Also, demon? -boring -unoriginal -doesn't fit the story
> 
> daemon? -unique -exciting -fits the story


	4. Introducing the Undead Sea!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mistakes were made.
> 
> (by the characters. not by me and my superb writing skills, of course)

"I was hoping no one would show up..." Izuru spoke more to himself than the fox, Gin, resting on his shoulders.

"You're so gloomy, Izuru-chan," Gin chittered back to him, curling around his neck to stare at the man who was currently passed out on the floor in front of them."We finally have some house guests, isn't that exciting? We should welcome them properly."

"There's no point in doing that." Izuru grabbed the fallen mans body, dragging it further into the room."They'll all just run away anyways. I hope no one else shows up..."

"Don't be much a downer, Izuru-chan," Gin tutted, smacking him in the face with his tail."If they're willing to leave their rooms in the Undead Sea, then I'm sure most of them are prepared to face the worst of the worst, and you're far from it."

Izuru sighed."What happened to you agreeing with me, Gin-san? You used to be crueler."

"Aw, you think I've softened up, Izuru-chan." Gin idly curled his talons into Izuru's shoulder just enough so that he wouldn't bleed."You followed me into death and you still don't know any better?"

Izuru sighed resolutely at his words, continuing to drag the warm body inside until he was laid out in the middle of the room. Izuru couldn't help but sigh again at the strenuous effort. It was a lot harder to move humans around when half of his body wasn't properly supported.

"What an interesting man..." Gin hummed, looking down at the person at their feet."He was as skittish as a mouse. How amusing."

"Should I take his arms, Gin-san?" Izuru asked, getting ready to heft him up onto the large table in front of him."He's got a pass, so I can't give you his soul."

"Hm, it really is such a pity, but one soul isn't enough for us, Izuru-chan." Gin hopped off his companions shoulders and onto the wooden table in front of him, being sure to keep clear of any blood or arms."We've got no room for anymore arms on the conveyer belt. We'll just leave him here until something else amusing happens."

"Okay." Izuru nodded, heading over to said conveyer belt."I'll get things moving, then." He moved over to the small wheel generator in the corner of the room, turning a valve next to it so that blood began pouring out of a tube from the top to turn the wheel.

The whole system creakily started up with a loud groan. The conveyer belt along one of the walls began moving forward as the wheel churned and circled. An array of arms, spaced out so none of them touched, moved along the belt in a seemingly endless stream which entered and left through the room Gin and Izuru were in.

Gin's bushy white tail flicked behind him."It's been a century now since I've heard this sound. We didn't get to enjoy it last time."

Izuru visibly shuddered.

"Aw, is Izuru-chan still shaken up by that time?" Gin snickered, hopping back up on his shoulders."It is unusual to have a God in the Undead Sea. We could've been banished for good, but thankfully the big, bad God of Fortune took pity on lowly undeads like us."

"Thankfully..." Izuru watched the arms moving through the conveyer belt."I hope someone comes to take her arm soon. I don't want to keep having to deal with all these supernatural beings..."

Gin chittered, eerily like a mocking laugh."Still acting so gloomy and innocent, Izuru-chan! How else will we find ourselves souls? Remember what you promised me?"

"Of course, Gin-san." Izuru's head bowed, eyes dimming as he went back over to the body in the middle of the room."I'm the one who made us like this in the first place. I must be the one to fix it."

Gin's smile, if it was even possible, widened further."Yes, it's all your fault, Izuru-chan. So don't disappoint me."  
  


* * *

  
  
Isane tossed and turned in her sleep. Whenever the Princess of Rejection entered the Undead Sea, she seemed to be plagued with night terrors. Some were milder than others and some had her waking up in the middle of the night on the verge of a full blown panic.

This particular night she found herself plagued with fears of the dead bodies of Aizen and Nanao turning up the next day with a feral, beast-like man with stark blue hair standing over them. He cackled, turning to Isane with large talons shining in the moonlight. Then, fast as light, he gained on her and was on the verge of cutting her down when Isane finally awoke from her dream.

Her eyes shot open as she clutched at her covers with a thick breath. Her whole body shook uncontrollably as she attempted to calm herself down, yet images of the monstrous man wouldn't leave her mind. She knew that there was no such thing as daemons and Grimmjow was just a human, yet her fear wouldn't leave.

Knowing she wouldn't be able to fall back asleep, Isane sat up and lit the candle by her bedside, thinking she would read one of her books to help calm herself back down. As she reached over into her nightstand, suddenly she was startled by a loud scream that had her stopping in her tracks with a hard shudder of fear.

Who was that?! What happened?! It sounded somewhat like a women's scream...Was that Nanao?!

Isane shot up on shaking legs, not even thinking twice about changing out of her night clothes. What if Nanao went to confront Grimmjow and got hurt? Would Aizen be next? What if what occurred in her dream came true and she found them all dead the next morning? She couldn't let that happen. She needed to save them as quickly as possible.

Isane slid her boarding pass, which had already been kept close to her person, into the inner pocket of her jacket. Moving towards the door, she grabbed her katana and kept it gripped tightly in her hand as she opened the door to her cabin and left to go find her friends.

The first thing she noted upon leaving her cabin was that the room she entered was not the usual hall she would exit into. In fact, she had never seen this room before. All the walls were eerily covered red and looked sticky or wet, yet Isane didn't smell anything foul from them. In fact, there was a rather pleasant smell wafting throughout the air that helped keep her calm down even if she had no idea where she was or what was going on.

Hesitantly, she opened the door she came from and found that nothing had changed about. Her room was still on the other side. The only conclusion that she could come up with was that this had to do with the Undead Sea. She had never even opened the door leaving her cabin when in the Undead Sea, so she didn't know anything about it outside of rumors. Even Unohana was no help, just telling her to keep her pass on her and stay in her cabin.

Isane gulped, looking between the three doors that lay in front of her and trying to figure out which one to pick. She didn't remember for certain which way the scream had come from and didn't have the time to attempt to decipher where. Stepping forward, she chose to enter through the door in front of her.

She felt her whole body begin to shake with nerves as she grasp the silver door handle, twisting and opening it with a small creak. Right at the same time, the door to her right opened and she suddenly found herself confronted with another person in the enclosed space.

Heart racing out of control, Isane unsheathed her katana and held it out in front of her before she could even blink to see was in front of her. It, thankfully, wasn't Grimmjow, but still her guard didn't relax. She didn't know who this man was. He wasn't one of the passengers aboard the Princess of Rejection.

He wore a green samue with a black haori on top along with a striped bucket hat and geta. He also held a cane in one hand but didn't seem to be using it. His eyes were darkened by his hat as he stared at Isane with an eerily calm look. It almost felt like he was smiling at her, which made her fear and paranoia grow.

"W-Who are you?!" she shouted at him, both hands now clutching her outpointed katana as her sheath dropped at her feet.

"My, now don't be so hasty, Kotetsu-sencho," the man spoke to her, slowly putting his hands up in a show of peace.

"H-How do you know my name?!" she asked him, only growing more weary. She backed up a step.

He smiled at her."You may not remember, but I've boarded this ship before." His hands came down—Isane flinching at the movement—and he tilted his head down in a small bow."My name's Urahara Kisuke. I'm just an honest, handsome, perverted traveling merchant."

Isane dropped her sword slightly at the mention of him being a passenger before."A merchant?" she asked."And you've traveled on the Princess of Rejection before? I feel like I would've remembered someone like you..." There was not a single thing about him that was inconspicuous.

"I'm flattered by your words, Kotetsu-sencho," Urahara responded."And you are certainly correct. The last time I boarded the Princess of Rejection was before you became co-captain. Unohana-sencho and I are very familiar with one another. She allowed me on this ship."

"Unohana-sencho did?" Isane asked, fully dropping her sword."So you're friends with Unohana-sencho?"

Urahara pulled out a fan from seemingly nowhere, opening it so it covered his mouth."It's as you say, Kotetsu-sencho."

"Then, do you know what's going on?!" she asked, thought back on her friends who could be in danger."I heard a scream and...Aizen-kun and Ise-kun might be hurt! And I've never seen any of these rooms before!"

"Worry not, Kotetsu-sencho, your friends are safe. As for these room..." Urahara pointedly looked around, keeping his fan over his face."This is just apart of the Undead Sea's trickery. You wont be able to navigate the ship as you usually do."

"Then what do I do?!" Isane asked desperately."Ise-kun and Aizen-kun may still need my help! I need to get to them before Jaegerjaquez-sama does anything to them!"

"My, well that _is_ a problem..." Urahara tapped his fan against his chin."Shall I help point you in the direction of where your...friends will be, Kotetsu-sencho?"

"You know where they are?" Isane asked with wide eyes, hastily bowing."Please help me find them, Urahara-sama!"

"Oh, please." Urahara snapped his fan shut."I'm just a humble merchant. Urahara-san is fine."

"Then...Urahara-san." Isane looked up at him with hope in her eyes."Please! Any help would be appreciated." She bowed again.

Even if Urahara said that her friends were okay, she couldn't be certain they would be for long. Who knows what Grimmjow could be up to?

"Good resolve," Urahara commented idly to her, turning back to the door he had just come out of."If you continue through this door in a straight path, I'm sure you'll run across your friend eventually, Kotetsu-sencho. Just don't stray away and you should be fine. I assure you."

"I got it! Thank you, Urahara-san." She grabbed her sheath off the ground and moved towards the door as a smiling Urahara watched her. Pausing, she turned back to him."What about you? What will you do, Urahara-san?"

His smile widened and his fan was once again open."Worry not about lowly merchant like me, Kotetsu-sencho! I'll be fine! I'm just doing my job."

She nodded hesitantly at his cryptic words, turning back and stepping into the next room that awaited her.  
  


* * *

  
  
Nanao looked around the unknown room Aizen and she had suddenly found themselves in. He didn't seem to be paying much attention to her, thinking to himself with a blank expression.

She didn't know what to think of the situation they were currently in. In the middle of the Undead Sea in an unknown room with a rebel leader somewhere on the loose...She couldn't help but clutch her sword closer to her side.

"Aizen-kun, do you have any idea of where we are?" she asked, stepping closer to him."Have you heard about this anywhere when reading about the Undead Sea?"

Aizen looked over to her and Nanao couldn't help but flinch back. The angered, dangerous look in his eyes quickly left, however, as he gave her a pleasant smile."I'm not sure, Ise-kun," he answered."This doesn't look like a room on the ship, so perhaps we've entered a different plane? Or maybe the Undead Sea is that plane?"

"Perhaps..." Nanao thought off, hand going to rest on her chin in contemplation. She looked around the room, one door in the middle of each of the four walls. The one she had come out of led to her cabin, and Aizen's to wherever he had come from on the ship, so perhaps the other two linked them to different parts of the ship as well?

She looked between the two doors, pausing on the one on her left which was directly across from Aizen. She stepped closer to it with a curious eye."Aizen-kun, look." She motioned to him and he stepped towards the door beside her.

Unlike the other three plain wooden doors, this particular door had a golden mail slot in the middle of it. Above the mail slot were words written in thick black ink which looked like it was still drying, giving it a drippy effect. They read as such:

**Those who wish to pass must offer their boarding pass.**

Nanao's eyes widened at the words."Offer our boarding pass?" she questioned, reading the words aloud. The boarding pass was the thing which kept their souls from being stolen, right? They couldn't just offer that up so easily. Plus, its not like Grimmjow was on the other side of that door. Nanao didn't want to risk it.

"What an idiotic offer." Nanao huffed."Aizen-kun, let's use the other door and search for Jaegerjaquez-san. It's best if we stick together from here on. We don't know what could attack us and you're currently unarmed."

Aizen didn't seem to be listening to her, though, and instead staring at the door in front of them. The intense look on his face was something Nanao had never seen before. His usual kind eyes seemed a lot more fierce for some reason.

"Aizen-kun?" Nanao questioned, stepping closer to him with concern."You aren't seriously considering going through there, right?"

Aizen stared further, then finally answering Nanao."I wonder, Ise-kun, what exactly they were referring to when they came up with the phrase 'Leave no man behind'. Did they mean they would leave all the women and children behind and only help the men? Or perhaps they meant they wouldn't leave anyone behind, even the bodies of the dead. Doesn't that sound utterly ridiculous? Dead weight is dead weight. It should be discarded properly."

"What are you talking about, Aizen-kun?" Nanao asked, confusion and a bit of fear entering her voice. This didn't sound like the Aizen she knew. Something was off about him."Let's hurry and leave this place. We don't know what Jaegerjaquez-san could be planning."

"Ise-kun, do you think we're friends?"

"Of course we are, Aizen-kun!" Nanao jumped at his words. Was he doubting her? Doubting their friendship? She couldn't just sit by and watch, if that was the case."You and Kotetsu-kun have both become dear friends to me!"

"I see..." Aizen mumbled off, head dropping down as he took off his glasses. slowly rolling his back up, one of his hands combed his hair back as his eyes snapped to Nanao with a harsh glare."What a foolish woman you are."

Nanao's eyes widened as Aizen took a step forward, taking out his boarding pass and inserting it into the mail slot. The door, in response, began to creak open.

"Wait, Aizen-kun!" Nanao shouted at him."If you don't have your boarding pass, your soul will be taken!"

Aizen huffed in amusement at her words, walking through the door and turning back to give her a blank look. No, it was more like he was looking down on her."You honestly think I would stoop so low as to rely on some flimsy piece of paper?" He glared at her, turning away."You really are a foolish woman."

The door closed with a solidifying sound behind him. Nanao couldn't help but stare, still trying to wrap around in her mind what had just happened. Did Aizen really not think of them as friends? If so, what was Aizen to them? An enemy? Or perhaps something else?

The sharp sound of another door opening and closing snapped Nanao out of her daze. Right, she was still in the Undead Sea. She needed to find Grimmjow. Wasting her time on Aizen at this point was useless. They could speak to each other properly once this was all over.

Resolve now sound, she set out to find Grimmjow once again to finally stop him for good.  
  


* * *

  
  
Isane stepped into her third room when she began to doubt Urahara's words. So far, she had yet to find any of the passengers on the ship. Each room, though, held something different. Thankfully there was always a door in front of her she could pass through, but sometimes there were no doors on her left or right and sometimes there were multiple on one wall. Some of the doors would have different writing on them requesting different things. The one universal thing about these requests, though, were that they all concerned boarding passes.

Isane wouldn't want to go through them even if she had no choice.

What terrified her the most, though, was the second room she had entered. Inside it, along the wall left of her, was a wooden and rubber wrapped conveyer belt. Moving along the belt were human arms. Some of them hadn't even been cleaned properly while others were bent and broken out of shape. She couldn't help but vomit her dinner out at the sight.

She still had no clue what was going on in this ship and didn't want to stay any longer than necessary to find out. She needed to focus on her goal to find Nanao and Aizen and get them to safety. She made sure to remember how to get back to her cabin for that sole purpose.

But she was sure these rooms had an end, so if her friends didn't show by the time she reached it, she would begin searching somewhere else. For now, all she could do was trust Urahara, even if she barely knew him. He was the only lead she had to finding everyone.

Finally composing herself once again, Isane made her way into the next room which awaited her. There was nothing unusual about it—two doors on her right and left. Sighing in relief, Isane walked across and opened the next door.

At that same time, another person came through one of the doors on the left behind her. Isane startled at the sudden sound, turning around with equal parts fear and hope in her heart as she brandished her katana to face her foe.

Eyes widening as she caught the characteristic bright orange hair of Shiba Ichigo, Isane dropped her sword down and moved over to him."S-Shiba-sama!"

Ichigo, who had also brandished his sword, lowered it slightly at the sudden friendliness Isane was showing him."Huh?" he questioned, backing away from her a step."Who are you? Are you another passenger on this ship?"

"Oh, right, my apologies, Shiba-sama. I never properly introduced myself properly to you, did I?" Isane bowed slightly."My name is Kotetsu Isane. I'm this ships co-captain."

Ichigo put his sword away, scratching at the top of his head."Right. Sorry about that, Kotetsu-sencho. I'm just a bit jittery right now."

"I don't blame you, Shiba-sama." Isane gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile."In this situation, who wouldn't be nervous?"

"True enough." Ichigo grinned back at her, then pausing."Oh, right, Hanatarou-kun told you all my name was Shiba..."

"Is it not?" Isane questioned back, remembering her conversation with her captain from before."Unohana-sencho _did_ call you Kurosaki-sama. I was very confused when Yamada-sama said your name was Shiba-sama."

"Ah, yeah..." Ichigo looked off."That was just a blunder on my end. I don't want to keep anymore secrets from all of you, especially now that we're in this situation." Ichigo turned to face Isane properly, bowing his head to her."My name is Kurosaki Ichigo. Pleased to meet your acquaintance, Kotetsu-sencho."

"Likewise, Kurosaki-sama," Isane responded with a bow of her own, sitting back up swiftly."What are you doing out here, Kurosaki-sama? Had you not been informed to stay in the sickbay while we traversed the Undead Sea?"

"No, Hanatarou-kun told me," Ichigo responded."I came out of my own volition."

"But why would you do such a thing?!" Isane questioned."Did you not hear how dangerous the Undead Sea was?! You shouldn't be out here!"

"There's something I must do on this ship, Kotetsu-sencho." Ichigo's voice was resolute and every bit of his countenance bled resignation."There's a daemon on board I need to kill."

"A..." Isane's eyes widened comically, whole body shaking as fear rose deep inside her."A daemon?!"

She had only heard about them in legends. Ferocious beasts which preyed on the flesh, blood, and desires of humans. They were said to have the horns of a bull and claws of a wolf and could easily shred through humans like they were paper. And if you ever entered a daemon's territory without its wishes, then you would meet a fate worse than death.

_That_ type of being was currently aboard the Princess of Rejection? Isane felt faint all over again.

"Orihime-sama, please protect me," she mumbled idly to herself.

"I understand if you might not believe me, but I'm sure there's one aboard this ship. I can just feel it deep in my gut," Ichigo spoke with certainty."There's no way I'll let it hurt anyone else on this ship. I swear I'll kill it before then."

Isane's eyes widened at the cold hard resolve on Ichigo's face. He was serious about protecting them. She couldn't help but feel a deep admiration and respect grow in the pit of her stomach. There was no way he was lying. Not with the amount of passion he was currently showing her.

She breathed out one long, shaky breath."Okay, I believe you, Kurosaki-sama. Let's take down this daemon together."

Ichigo's eyes widened."You don't need to do anything, Kotetsu-sencho." He waved his hands at her."I can deal with this myself. Plus, I have yet to even see this daemon yet..."

"No, I'll help you, Kurosaki-sama," Isane responded with a newfound courage. Perhaps it was Ichigo's words which spurred this action into her or perhaps it was her desire to find her friends and save everyone on this ship. Either way, she felt invigorated."What kind of co-captain would I be if I couldn't even protect this ship and its passengers?"

Ichigo, noticing her sudden change in attitude, nodded."Okay." He smiled."Thank you, Kotetsu-sencho."

"Of course, Kurosaki-sama!" Isane smiled back at him."I think we should gather more forces before seeking out this daemon, wouldn't you say? There's a Lieutenant General of the army on this ship who's really strong. I was told my Urahara-san if I keep walking this way I would eventually come across her. What do you say we find her first before proceeding, Kurosaki-sama?"

Ichigo couldn't help but flinch at her mention, but he couldn't deny that they would need any extra help they could get. He had talked big to Yamada about killing the daemon, but even he knew it would be a hard battle, since he had never even seen a daemon before. Someone with a gun would be a better help than nothing, even if they were sworn enemies.

"I agree." Kurosaki nodded to her."Lead the way then, Kotetsu-sencho."

She nodded, moving back to open the next door as she had done previously. It led to another room with only one marked door on the right. They proceeded with caution as Isane opened the next one after Ichigo's nod of approval. As soon as Isane opened the door, she stopped in speculation.

"What is it, Kotetsu-sencho?" Ichigo asked, peering over her shoulder.

"Nothing. It's just that this is the first time I've seen stairs."

In front of her was a set of wooden stairs just like in the lower deck of the original Princess of Rejection. The only difference was that there wasn't a load of crates, but multiple sets of doors on each side with a single door at the very end. It seemed eery, yet still they had to proceed if they were to find Nanao.

"Let's go," Isane spoke, leading them forward down the stairs and towards the next door.

Ichigo looked all around the the whole time like something was about to pop out, katana now unsheathed and tight in his hand. The room was too dark to stay calm in.

Isane finally reached the next door, taking extra caution when opening it. She found the room in front of her to be much bigger than the others they had entered into. In fact, it looked exactly like the main hall on the Princess of Rejection.

No, it _was_ the main hall.

She looked around with confusion, not understanding why the main hall would be here of all places. As she looked, her eyes caught sight of something on the ground to her left. Her head snapped to it, eyes widening at the clear figure of a person lying on the floor. Her feet began moving on their own, picking up in pace until she was practically sprinting towards the distinctive body. There was no mistaking who it was.

"Ise-kun!"  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me *creating outfits for everyone*: ok so we'll give Nanao a traditional military uniform, of course...Aizen in a suit...oh! putting Ichigo in a hakama might be fun...
> 
> me *getting to Urahara*: ...yeah that's fine


	5. Bundle of Nerves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Urahara makes wikihow pages

Grimmjow plopped himself down on one of the benches in the main hall, leg moving up and down in impatience. He was tired of waiting. He'd been waiting for two days now and he couldn't handle anymore. Being in another daemon's territory didn't help any, even if she wasn't planning on killing him. And then when they finally get to the fun part, he has to wait even more?

Grimmjow couldn't stand it. All of his instincts were screaming at him to run and fight at the same time. It felt like his head was being split open and all because of some God's arm. Really, how strong were those beings? He wanted to fight them so bad.

The door to his right creaked open and Grimmjow sat up, snarl in his voice."Finally! Took you long enough."

"My, don't be like that, Grimmjow-san," Urahara Kisuke responded, geta clacking against the wooden floors as he made his way over to Grimmjow."I told you to stay in your cabin so I could pick you up, did I not? You made little ol' me have to run around searching for you."

"Like hell you were," Grimmjow growled, standing up to move closer to him."I bet you were just fucking around like usual, bastard. Let's just hurry up and get this shit done with."

"Now, now, don't be so hasty." Urahara smiled to him."I need you do to something else for me before we finish our business here."

"Hah?!"

"Don't get so upset." Urahara pulled out his fan, opening it in front of his smiling face."I'll be quick, I promise."

And right after his words, coming barreling in through the door to their left was Nanao with a gun in hand and cocked in their direction."Stop right there, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez-san!"

After being abandoned by Aizen, Nanao set out on her quest to locate Grimmjow. She had run across conveyer belts with arms on them and more doors requesting her boarding pass, yet still she persisted. Her duty to take down Grimmjow made her grow delusional towards the various abnormalities around her. Fairing the Undead Sea alone was not meant to be possible for a normal human being.

In her haze, she had finally found Grimmjow just beyond the door in front of her. And with him, she heard another man conspiring with him. There was no other answer, based on their conversation. She didn't know where he had come from or what their plan was, but she knew she had to take them down.

It was her duty.

"Don't move!" she shouted, eyeing both of them with her gun."Put your hands where I can see them, or I'll shoot!"

Grimmjow didn't move a bit, just growling in her direction, while Urahara snapped his fan shut. Nanao flinched at the movement, gun focusing on him."I said don't move!" she yelled at him.

"Why, if it isn't the Lieutenant General herself," Urahara commented, still acting incredibly casual even with a gun pointed in his face."It's a pleasure to meet you, Ise-chujou. I would better pay my respects, but it seems you would prefer I not in our current situation."

Nanao completely ignored his formalities."Who are you?! Are you working for the rebels too?!" she asked him."What's your goal?! What do you plan on doing on this ship?!"

"Now, now, calm down, Ise-chujou." Urahara tried to coax her."I'm not exactly sure when you became under the impression we were rebels, but I can assure you we are no such thing. I'm just an honest, personable traveling merchant, and Grimmjow-san here is my assistant."

"Who is?!"

"Shut up!" Nanao cocked her gun towards Grimmjow. They were really trying to make up such petty lies this late in the game?! What did they take her for, a fool?! She had never been disrespected so heavily in her entire life."Don't try to lie to me now! I heard you! The both of you will be following me back to headquarters to face trial for your crimes!"

"Don't be so hasty, Ise-chujou—"

"Didn't I tell you to be quiet?!" she yelled, gun now back on Urahara.

She was tired of not being in the know. Tired of worrying night after night about her General, her family. She just wanted this rebellion to end already. She wanted peace at any cost, so these men needed to be taken in, if only to further that goal a bit more.

"She's not gonna listen to you," Grimmjow spoke to Urahara, feral grin spreading across his face."Let me have at her already."

"It seems so..." Urahara opened his fan back up."Remember not to harm her, Grimmjow-san. This isn't your territory."

"I know!" he snapped back, taking a single step forward.

"I said don't move!" she shouted at him, gun now pointed in Grimmjow's direction as she watched him reach his hand up to curl a single finger around the small silver loop in the center of the collar he was wearing."Stay where you are, rebel!"

"Too bad for you, missy. I'm no rebel..." Grimmjow's grin sharpened as he ripped off the collar around his neck."I'm a daemon!"

The transformation happened faster than Nanao could blink. One second she was looking at the figure of a man and the next a ferocious beast as tall as the ceiling loomed over her. It was covered in blue and black fur with the muzzle of a wolf and horns like a ram. Large talons protruded from it's feet and paws and as one reached for her, she could do nothing but tremble.

She needed to run. She needed to get away. She needed to stand her ground. She needed to fight this beast.

The conflicting emotions inside her were too much to handle.

Her arms quickly jerked upwards, finger pressing down on the tigger, but she was too late. The daemon in front of her easily reached at hand out to her face, completely encompassing it as a musky scent exited the pores of his paws and made her body grow lax and fall into a deep slumber.

"Sleep," Grimmjow spoke, voice now an echoing and deep rumble of sound.

As she now lie the ground, Urahara walked over to the pair."Good work, Grimmjow-san. Your form holds up quite well on this ship!" He leaned down to pick up his collar."But you could've been a bit gentler with your dear restrictor. They're quite hard to make, you know."

He held up the collar to Grimmjow who snatched it in one clawed hand. The minute he made contact, his body regressed back into its human state, clothes and all."I hate it," Grimmjow growled back in response."It makes me feel like a dog."

"I'm sorry, but this is the only model I know how to make currently. I'll design one for your wrist soon enough, worry not." He leaned over Nanao's body, picking up the gun still clutched tightly in her hands."Now, let's get this dangerous thing out of the way..."

He tucked it into the folds of his samue while Grimmjow waited with impatience."Hurry up already!"

"So impatient." Urahara smiled, hand coming out of his samue and now holding a folded thing of tanned, worn paper."Here, for you. It's a map of the current layout of the ship."

He opened it up, handing it over to Grimmjow who looked it over with a scowl. Urahara walked over to look down at it with him."Currently, we are here." He pointed to one of the larger rooms on the bottom floor portion of the map."That black dot means this is an original room on the Princess of Rejection and therefore a safe place to be when we exit the Undead Sea."

"And so?" Grimmjow raised an eyebrow."Where the hell is this arm?"

"You know best, don't you, Grimmjow-san?" Urahara looked up to him with a smile, tapping his nose."It should be quite clear to you where to find it."

Grimmjow clicked his tongue, looking back at the map."And so? What the hell do you want me to do?"

Urahara smiled, fan out and over his mouth.  
  


* * *

  
  
"Ise-kun...Ise-kun...! Wake up, Ise-kun!"

Nanao was shook awake, bleary eyes opening and getting a face full of white hair."Kotetsu...sencho...?"

"Ise-kun!" Isane cried with relief."Finally, you're awake! I was worried you wouldn't wake up!"

Finally waking herself up from her slumber, Nanao better looked at Isane. Her figure hovered over Nanao who laid on the floor of the main hall."Kotetsu-sencho..."

Then quickly, as sharp as a knife, all the memories of what happened before she fell asleep came rushing back into her head. Grimmjow and the strange man. Long talons reaching for her. A daemon. _A daemon_.

Nanao shot up, looking around quickly. No one. Not even a mark on the floor from the daemon. It must've went back to its human form. This wasn't good. It wasn't good at all.

"Was there anyone else in the room with me when you arrived?!" Nanao asked quickly, clutching at Isane's arm.

"No, it was just you."

"Damnit..." Nanao stood up, Isane following her up and helping her over to one of the benches as she stumbled to move while idly clutching at her head even if there was no pain. Everything just felt foggy.

"Calm down, Ise-kun," Isane spoke to her in a soothing voice."It's just us in here. You're safe, I promise."

Nanao left out a big breath at her words, naturally calming down at her soothing tone. She gathered her wits from there, absentmindedly checking her holster and then scavenging the floor around her. When she didn't find what she was looking for, she could only sigh."They took my gun, too. Those monsters..."

"What happened, Ise-kun?" Isane asked."How did you end up here? I heard a scream and..."

Leaning forward, elbows coming to rest on her knees, Nanao spoke with conviction."After splitting up with Aizen-kun, I confronted Jaegerjaquez-san and another strange man which he was working with."

"There is another man on the ship? Is he a rebel too?"

"No." Nanao shook her head. There was no way those men were rebels. No, they were just plain old monsters."He was a strange man with a striped hat and a cane who called himself a traveling merchant, though I doubt that's true."

Isane gasped, eyes wide."Urahara-san?! Was it Urahara-san? But why was Urahara-san with Jaegerjaquez-san...?"

"You know him?!" Nanao asked, standing up and grabbing Isane by the shoulders."Where is he now?! There's no way he's a normal human if he's working with a monster like that!"

"Monster...?" Isane asked, eyes growing wide.

"Yes." Nanao looked away briefly, expression grim."Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. He's a daemon! There's no other answer to how he could look like... _that_."

"A daemon?!" Ichigo suddenly spoke up from behind the pair, startling Nanao.

She quickly put Isane behind her, whole body on edge at the unknown person in front of her."Who are you?!"

"Ise-kun, calm down," Isane reasoned with her, stepping away to better face the both of them."He's the passenger who's been in the sickbay all this time."

"Oh, the man in sickbay." Nanao lowered her guard with a small sigh."I'm sorry. I've been so skittish lately with everything that's been going on."

"It's fine. I have as well," Ichigo answered her with a smile and a small bow."It's nice to officially meet you, Ise-chujou. I'm Kurosaki Ichigo." As soon as he spit out his full name he tensed.

"Nice to meet you, Kuro...saki..." Nanao's eyes widened comically and suddenly a memory from the past was triggered.

_"And he's got this crazy bright hair! I've never seen such a color before!"_

_"He's gotta be a foreigner, right?"_

_"Hey, what did you say his name was again?"_

"Kurosaki Ichigo...!" Nanao grabbed Isane instantly, pulling them away from the man. Ichigo knew instantly he messed up."Kotetsu-sencho, get back!"

"H-Huh?! Ise-kun, what's going on?!" Isane cried as she was pushed behind Nanao.

Nanao brandished her katana, holding it out in front of her with a grimace."Kurosaki Ichigo, you're under arrest!"

How could she be so foolish?! How could she forget something so important?! The true rebel leader was right under their noses this whole time and she hadn't even realized! What a fool she had been!

"Ise-kun?!" Isane called to her in panic, then looking over to Ichigo who had a resound look on his face, hand clutching the sword at his side."Kurosaki-sama...?! What's going on?!"

"How stupid of you to revel yourself to me, rebel!" Nanao called to him, trying to keep her composure which was rapidly slipping. She didn't know how much longer she could keep it together with everything going on around her. There was too much to process and not enough time to do so.

"A rebel?" Isane looked over to Ichigo."It can't be...You're a rebel, Kurosaki-sama?"

"I'll admit I was careless in revealing myself," Ichigo responded very slowly."But we have a bigger problem at hand that needs to be dealt with that is much bigger than whatever ill will is held between us. We can't just let that daemon roam about freely on this ship! People could be killed!"

"How unlike a rebel to be concerned about the wellbeing of others," Nanao snapped back."Were you thinking about the citizen living in the capital when you invaded, huh?! I bet you just want that daemon gone so you have one less obstacle in the way of killing me!"

"No, that's not it!" Ichigo argued back."I...I'm truly sorry about what happened at the capital, but that wasn't me! I never wanted them to go through with it but they ignored me! I don't want any blood to be spilled, just like you!"

"Stop lying!" Nanao yelled."Do you know what your people have done?! What they intend to do to Kyouraku-taisho?!"

"I know! I'm on this ship so I can stop that!" Ichigo responded."Your people are no better than mine, either! Do you know how many people have been caught up in the crossfire of this feud?!"

"I know!" Nanao yelled back, now a slight crackling in her voice. Both Ichigo and her eyes were glistening with water that refused to well up into tears."I've seen it and I've lived it! The very thought of all the blood being shed has kept me up for years now!"

"Me too!" Ichigo gripped his sword tighter, whole body now shaking."I've cried and agonized over the loss of my friends, of the people I care most about in this world...I'll always carry their deaths on my shoulders, and I don't wish to carry more! So let's kill this daemon together before there are anymore deaths on our shoulders! Please, Ise-chujou! This is not the battle to be fought right now!"

Ichigo bowed deeply to her, baring his neck without fear. It made Nanao startle and fumble. In this moment, she couldn't tell what was the right action.

She just didn't know.

And suddenly, a crackling sound resonated around them. It wasn't directly coming into the main hall, but from the rooms around them. Then, a voice spoke.

" _Ahem, ahem_ , can everyone hear me properly?"  
  


* * *

  
  
Aizen took a gamble. He had thought that, somehow, by chance, Ichigo would've been behind the mail slot door, because when he entered it was practically at the same time they entered the Undead Sea. That gamble hadn't paid off and how he was forced to play this game by ear. But he wouldn't be here in the first place if he didn't know how to improvise.

He did notice the peculiar conveyer belt running through different parts of the ship in a conformed circle. They had arms on them, which caused him to pause in consideration. When a God lost or purposefully abandoned a part of their body, it became crystallized—as if frozen in time—because that was exactly the case. The limb paused the time around it as soon as it was detached so that it could be instantaneously reattached whenever necessary. None of the arms Aizen had encountered on the belt were anywhere near such a state, so Aizen vetoed the idea. It would be to obvious a place to begin with.

So either the undead who was currently in control of this point in time at sea had designed the current ship layout to fit around the missing arm or it was like this originally and Benten left it here on purpose. But he knew better than to predict the actions of a God.

It didn't help that the stench of this whole boat was throwing him off kilter. If only he was closer to a human or true divine being, then this place would smell full of life.

An annoyed groan came from the other side of the door directly to his right and Aizen paused. Entering through the door was Grimmjow. The rebel was as loud and annoying as ever, yet Aizen knew he couldn't display his knowledge to him. He needed his help not to be on the other end of a sword.

"Jaegerjaquez-san, what are you doing here?" Aizen asked, astonished by his sudden presence.

"Huh?!" Grimmjow snapped at him."I have no reason to tell you anything, bastard. Now get the hell out of my way!"

"Don't be like that." Aizen smiled back at him."Aren't we all passengers aboard this ship? I'm just looking for everyone else. I'm worried someones been hurt or lost their boarding pass. Why don't we search for everyone else together?"

"No way! Go do that by yourself." _You damn two-faced bastard._

"If you're so unwilling, then have you seen anyone else? If you could point me in their direction, I would be eternally grateful." Aizen bowed lowly to him in a small plead for his help.

Grimmjow scoffed."Fine. Yeah, I saw one of them. Some orange-haired prick."

"Orange-haired...?" Aizen questioned and no doubt about it: That was Shiba Ichigo.

"Yeah. A real fucking weirdo." Grimmjow scowled."He was carrying a goddamn arm with him like some kinda fair prize while mumbling on and on about searching for that skittish bastard. He's messed in the head."

"An arm?!" Aizen's eyes were blown wide in shock."How strange...Do you remember where you met him?"

"How the hell should I know?!" Grimmjow snapped back rather harshly, stepping forward and passing Aizen to exit through the door across from him."Go and look for him yourself, bastard."

He slammed the door shut behind him and Aizen knew better than to go chasing after him. Grimmjow would be of no more help than he already was, but it was clear that the angry man had met him somewhere on his path before getting to Aizen, so the clear answer was to follow back through the door he came and hopefully retrace his steps.

But now that Aizen knew Ichigo had the arm, everything else would be a piece of cake. If not tonight, he would just have to stage and accident steal it tomorrow. There was still time after the Undead Sea, after all.  
  


* * *

  
  
" _Ahem, ahem_ , can everyone hear me properly?"

Through a system of tubes and speakers linking between all the extra added rooms on the Princess of Rejection, the voice of the sly fox Gin spoke. Everyone littered throughout the ship perked at the sudden voice echoing all around them, wondering what was going on.

"Well, of course you can! Hello folks traversing the Undead Sea, and nice to meet you. It's truly a pleasure. I wish I could have the honor of greeting you all personally, but it seems the circumstances demand otherwise."

There was a short pause before he spoke again."There are five passengers on the Princess of Rejection, but have you yet to notice you're missing one? Yes, that's right, I'm talking about skittish little Yamada Hanatarou-san. He really is such a fine guest, yet certainly a bit too squeamish for me. Why don't you all come to pick him up, hm? It would be a shame if he was killed without anyone there to save him, don't you think?

"You've seen the conveyer belts around the ship, right? Follow those to find me. I'll give you one hour. Failure to arrive by then means sweet, pitiful Yamada's death, of course. Good luck, everyone~! I hope to see you soon!"  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Grimmjow *referring to any female*: woman
> 
> me: can someone please teach this man some manners?  
> (he's still sexy tho heheh)


	6. Save the Skittish Man!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> live fast eat ass

_"I'll give you one hour. Failure to arrive by then means sweet, pitiful Yamada's death, of course. Good luck, everyone~! I hope to see you soon!"_

Aizen stood there in silence, taking in the words from the third party. Yamada was that skittish boy who was with Ichigo, the one Grimmjow said he was looking for. That meant, without a doubt, Ichigo would be going to where this man was holed up to take back Yamada. But who exactly was this person in the first place?

Aizen's first thought went to Urahara. This was probably the man working for him. It was clever, really, to have the very person who took control during this hour in the Undead Sea work for you. He should've known better than to assume it was someone so obvious as a passenger on the ship. This just meant that he either needed to intercept Ichigo before then to take the arm or string together a lie when they're all together to make Urahara's colleague look like the bad guy.

Aizen was a passenger on this ship, after all, so why wouldn't Ichigo trust him more than some undead person? Even if they hadn't met, if he was convincing enough, surely Ichigo would believe him no matter how stubborn he was. It was better than believing a random person with no real backing.

So, with everything now decided, Aizen moved forward to find the conveyer belt.  
  


* * *

  
  
_"Good luck, everyone~! I hope to see you soon!"_

Nanao, Ichigo, and Isane all stood in silence once the man over the speaker stopped talking, perhaps hoping he would pop back on and cheerily say,"Just kidding!" But nothing came.

Yamada was in danger and they had yet to decide upon anything.

Nanao's eyes hardened and she was the first to speak up."Is Yamada-san one of your rebel friends as well?"

"Yes..." Ichigo answered with resignation."But I swear he's never hurt a soul! He's a genuinely good man..."

"How am I supposed to believe you?" she asked, voice slowly rising."After all this, how am I supposed to believe you?! He could be the very man set on taking Kyouraku-taisho's life for all I know!"

"I understand how unreasonable it is for me to ask you to believe me," Ichigo spoke, head bowed."But Hanatarou-kun is genuinely a good person. He would never hurt a soul. I swear it on my dead mother's grave."

As much as Ichigo wished to coax her, it seemed all his words were doing was making her more riled up. Nanao, throughout all this, had received betrayal after betrayal, but the worst of it all was how she was betrayed by her own self. Ukitake's death made her grow foolish and sentimental. Exactly what was happening to her in this moment—this passing bit of sympathy and the beginnings of trust for the rebel—was exactly what she wanted to make sure Shunsui would avoid. He needed to detach emotion from duty, yet if she couldn't even do it herself, how could she hope to persuade him to do the same?

Yet Ichigo, who stood there in front of her with a heart more genuine than one she once called friend, felt like someone she could trust. He felt the same as her. The same in his determination and valor. Ichigo was a rebel leader to be respected, and seemingly unbeknownst of the two of them, they shared the same goal in coming onto the Princess of Rejection.

Unbeknownst to the two of them, they were birds of the same feather, simply flocking to different sides. They weren't as different as they thought, and that was what hurt the most.

_What am I supposed to do, Kyouraku-taisho? What would you do in this situation?_

Isane, at this time, stepped out behind Nanao and between the two opposing parties. In the face of their wrath, she could do nothing, but in the face of their sorrow, she knew she could be the one to once again raise their fighting spirits and rekindle their determination.

"This isn't time to be fighting, you two," she spoke, arms spread wide as she stood between the two of them."Right now, Yamada-sama is in danger. If we continue to waste our time here, we may never be able to see him again. Don't you both want to save everyone on this ship? Well now's the time to act! Let's put aside political differences for now and help each other out!"

"It's not that easy, Kotetsu-sencho..."

"It is!" Isane shouted back at Nanao, words genuine."You're not at war right now, Ise-kun! Neither you nor Kurosaki-sama! Right now you're both passengers aboard the Princess of Rejection and that's it! You're not Lieutenant General Ise Nanao-sama and you're not rebel leader Kurosaki Ichigo-sama. You're both people that Unohana-sencho and I have promised to deliver safely to the Main Port. That includes Yamada-sama as well! So if we are to let him die now, then you will be calling Unohana-sencho and I liars!"

Isane huffed out that last part, face flushed in anger and full of emotion as she stared at the two of them, waiting for them to defy her.

Ichigo was the first one to grin, a small chuckle exiting his mouth at the ridiculousness of Isane's words."Well, we wouldn't want to call you a liar, Kotetsu-sencho," he spoke between laughs.

Nanao let a small smile pass over her face."Right. You're far from a liar, Kotetsu-sencho. We'll make sure of it, I promise."

Isane's smile widened as she looked between the two adversaries. She couldn't help but let out a big sigh of relief."Thank you, Ise-kun, Kurosaki-sama! Let's quickly find Yamada-sama and then defeat this daemon!"

"Yes, let's do just that," Nanao nodded along with her words, then turning to Ichigo one last time."We'll leave things to rest for now, what do you say, Kurosaki-san?"

She stuck a hand out to him.

Ichigo stepped forward."Until the daemon is defeated and Hanatarou-kun's rescued. I promise."

His hand met hers and Isane smiled between the two of them. For now, this was enough.  
  


* * *

  
  
Isane, Ichigo, and Nanao continued through various rooms until they found one with a conveyer belt. From then on, it was a matter of following the factory line of arms to whatever destination it intended to take them.

The air between them all was tense as they continued. Isane could tell Ichigo and Nanao were still weary of one another and rightfully so. They were still enemies and would be at each others throats once they finally got off this ship. Isane just hoped they could make some sort of amends before then. She didn't want to see these two good people fighting anymore.

But that all could wait for now. Yes, it could wait awhile longer, because when faced with a threat bigger than yourself, humans could do nothing but rely on one another. Even when distrusting each other, even when sworn enemies, an even greater enemy by which you both share could bring you together.

A stronger force. One no ordinary human could take on alone.

_A daemon._

"Look what we have here," Grimmjow drawled, wide grin on his face."Looks like you all became buddy buddy while I was gone, huh?"

"Kurosaki-san, be on guard!" Nanao shouted, stepping in front of Isane and brandishing her katana."He's the daemon!"

"He's the..." Ichigo's eyes widened and he quickly whipped out his own katana, pointing it to Grimmjow."So you're the daemon! What are you planning to do on this ship?!" He looked down, noticing an arm clutched in the mans right hand, an odd silver-blueish color peaking through the cloth wrapped around it."And what's with that arm in your hand?!"

Grimmjow scratched his head, letting out an irritable sigh."Gimme a break already...Why is it the one time I get willing opponents I can't fight them?"

The trio in front of him didn't seem to be listening to his words, however.

"Where is that man you were with?!" Nanao demanded.

"Urahara-san's not working with you, right, Jaegerjaquez-sama?!" Isane tried."He can't be..."

"That bastard?" Grimmjow scoffed."He doesn't matter, does he? I'm the one you really want, right? The big...bad...daemon!"

"Kurosaki-san!" Nanao shouted in warning as Grimmjow came barreling towards him, dropping the arm in his hand in his pursuit.

Even while wearing the collar Urahara had made him, Grimmjow's strength exceeded that of a human to the extent where one may seek to call him a human-sized titan. And this strength, paired with a fighting spirit and years of trained technique to go along with it, made him an impossibly strong foe. Even in this state, it would be possible for him to take all three of them down, but that wasn't Grimmjow's goal. He couldn't harm them, after all.

So as Ichigo readied his sword in front of him to accept the blow, Grimmjow did the unthinkable by instead grabbing the edge of his blade and bringing it down on his knee and snapping it clean in half. Metal sung and clattered onto the floor as everyone around him stared in shock at what just occurred.

It couldn't be comprehended what thoughts were running through their heads in that moment or what emotions they were feelings. Fear of death? Acceptance of their sure fate? Determination to bypass their destiny? Whatever it was, no one could make a sound as Grimmjow tossed part of Ichigo's katana away and stepped back with hands now dripping blood, moving back and picking up the fallen arm.

"Do you get it now, humans?" Grimmjow spoke to them, turning back around."You can't beat me. Not with those flimsy pieces of metal. Hurry up and get out of my sight."

"Kurosaki-sama!" Isane called, first to snap out of her daze and move over to Ichigo.

He put a hand out, stopping her before she could get any closer."Stay back, Kotetsu-sencho," he spoke to her.

"What, you still want to go?!" Grimmjow snarled back."What will you do without a sword to protect you?!"

"You're wrong..." Ichigo clutched what was left of his katana, holding it up to Grimmjow."My sword has not yet left my hands, which means the fight is still on!"

"And don't forget about me!" Nanao butted in, standing alongside Ichigo with her katana outstretched."I'll show you what you get when you make a fool out of me, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez-san! Now hurry and and take off your collar so we can see your true form!"

"You two really get my blood boiling!" Grimmjow said to the both of them with a wild grin."It's too bad I can't properly fight you right now! I would've loved to go all out in a battle to the death, but this ain't my territory, so I'll have to leave you be for now."

"Territory?" Nanao questioned.

"Just making up more excuses, aren't you?!" Ichigo snapped back."Are you too scared you're gonna lose, or is that arm you're holding that precious to you? Tell me, what exactly is that?"

"None of your business, that's what!" Grimmjow shouted back, ready to just run over and break his skull open instead of his katana.

"Stop it, all of you!" Isane suddenly shouted, getting in the way of both parties like before and sticking her arms out, stopping Grimmjow's movements.

In that short bout of time while the three of them traded insults, Isane remembered back to a time when Unohana told her about daemons. Isane's interest in supernatural creatures had been sparked by the books she read and Unohana was willing and knowledgable enough to sate that curiosity.

_"Daemons don't care about humans as much as some may seem to think," Unohana explained to Isane one night out at sea."It's other daemons they're wary of. That's why daemons set up territories. They become grounds which store and fuel their strength while draining others. If another daemon wishes to cross through their territory, they must get explicit permission and follow the daemons wishes as they cross through."_

_"There are few fools who see to challenge daemons in their own territory and all who have were killed, so don't let your fear shadow yourself from these creatures, Kotetsu-sencho." Unohana gave her a small, kind smile."They are no threat to you, I promise."_

"Kotetsu-sencho, what are you doing?!" Nanao questioned in panic, not wanting the co-captain to get so close to such a dangerous man.

"It's alright, Ise-kun, Kurosaki-sama," Isane spoke to the both of them with a shaky smile, then turning to Grimmjow. How could she forget something so important? Why did she only remember now? "You said this wasn't your territory, correct? And that the true master of this territory forbad you from killing anyone on this ship?"

Grimmjow scowled at her, yet nodded all the same.

Isane let out a large sigh, tension leaving her figure while Ichigo and Nanao just stared in confusion, not sure what was going on."It's okay, Ise-kun, Kurosaki-sama. Daemon's in another daemon's territory must obey their wishes. Jaegerjaquez-sama can't hurt us because the daemon who allowed him on this ship forbade him from doing such a thing."

"But how do we know he's not lying?" Nanao asked suspiciously."He could be tricking you into thinking that, Kotetsu-sencho."

"Jaegerjaquez-sama could've killed Kurosaki-sama while his guard was down, but instead, he only broke his blade," Isane started."The same happened with you, Ise-kun. Jaegerjaquez-sama didn't harm you when he had the chance, only put you to sleep. It must be the same for Urahara-san as well!"

The two stared back at her, deep contemplation in their eyes. What Isane said was believable, but they felt they couldn't so easily trust Grimmjow. A being unknown to them, with a strong power which clearly surpassed their own. They had no choice but to be wary in such a situation.

"We can't just assume every daemon is evil, either!" she shouted to them, but still the look on their faces didn't change much.

Grimmjow noticed as well, letting out a long sigh before plopping himself down on the floor.

"What are you playing at?" Ichigo asked.

"Hah?! I'm just sitting down," Grimmjow snapped back."This shit feels like it'll take forever, so I've decided I'm staying here. Wasn't there an announcement that one skittish guy was missing? Yama-something. Shouldn't you be hurrying up to save him?"

Ichigo's eyes widened, having completely forgotten their original guest."Right, Ise-chujou, we have to hurry and save Hanatarou-kun!"

"But what are we gonna do about him?" Nanao asked back."We can't just leave him here!"

Ichigo thought hard, looking to Grimmjow and then spotting the arm he clutched in his bloody hand."Hand that arm over to me," he demanded.

"Hah?!" Grimmjow snarled."Why should I have to?!"

"It's obviously something valuable to you, so hand it over." Ichigo held a hand out."It'll be our trust agreement."

"Jaegerjaquez-sama, please..." Isane pleaded.

Grimmjow looked between the two of them, finally giving in and handing it to Ichigo with a scowl on his face the whole time. It was oddly hard in Ichigo's hand, yet gave him a warm feeling. It wasn't as disturbing as he expected. No, far from it.

Ichigo ditched the now bloody cloth around it and spoke to Grimmjow."If you hurt anyone on this ship, I'll throw this arm overboard."

Grimmjow clicked his tongue."I got it! Hurry up and get the hell out of my sight."

Ichigo and Nanao made for the door."Kotetsu-sencho, hurry up! We need to save Yamada-san before it's too late," Nanao called to her, who hadn't moved from Grimmjow's side.

Isane looked down at the daemon's bloody hands, then back up at Ichigo and Nanao."You two go ahead without me. I'm going to patch up Jaegerjaquez-sama's hands first."

"Kotetsu-sencho!" Nanao cried."There's no need to do that! He'll heal himself later with Orihime-sama's blessing!"

"We don't know if she'll bless someone like him," Isane responded, voice solemn."It's my duty as co-captain to make sure everyone gets off this ship safely, so please let me do this." She looked at the two with that same determination in her eyes."Don't forget I'm carrying a katana on me as well. I know how to use it too in case anything happens."

Nanao stared, wanting to protest but knowing better. She let out a sigh."Okay, I got it." She smiled."Good luck, Kotetsu-sencho. I'll see you later."

"Yes, see you later, Ise-kun, Kurosaki-sama. Please be safe."

"You as well, Kotetsu-sencho," Ichigo called, and then they were off.  
  


* * *

  
  
Aizen waited outside the door of what he assumed to be the main room of the undead who controlled this time slot in the Undead Sea. Ichigo, or anyone else for that matter, had yet to arrive. If they didn't soon, Aizen may just have to take control of the situation and save his friend so that Ichigo would be under his good graces.

But thankfully, before he had to go through that, Ichigo arrived with Nanao alongside him.

"Aizen-kun!" Nanao exclaimed at the sight of him, slightly wary beneath her overall surprise to see him.

Aizen put a quick finger over his mouth, pointing to the door behind him to motion to her to speak quieter."I haven't gone in yet," he whispered to the two of them."I don't know what the situation is on the other side and I'm weaponless. Thank god you two arrived, or I would've been beside myself."

Aizen looked down, noticing the arm in Ichigo's hand. Silver and blue, signs of crystallization. Even though it had lost all it's God-like aura, there was no doubt that was Benten's arm. And for Ichigo to be holding such a thing barehanded, he truly was a Shiba.

"I don't think I caught your name either..." Aizen motioned to him, sticking a hand out."I'm Aizen Sousuke."

"Kurosaki Ichigo." Ichigo grasp his hand in his."A pleasure."

_Kurosaki...So that must be his mothers name, then._

"If I may be so rude but to ask," Aizen started, looking down at Benten's arm."What is a young man like yourself doing with such a thing?"

"Nevermind that, let's hurry up and save Yamada-san!" Nanao butted in, much to Aizen's distaste.

Ichigo, snapping out of it, nodded his head."Right, let's go!"

"Wait—" Aizen tried to stop them, but it was to late. Ichigo barged in through the door with a look of determination, Nanao right behind him.

As soon as the two of them entered they were hit with a horrid smell. The next thing was the sight of all the arms littered everywhere throughout the room. They hung from the ceilings, moved along the conveyer belt in the room, sagged out of buckets, and laid still on bloody tables.

The place looked like what one might see in a nightmare.

Ichigo and Nanao had to resist the urge to gag as they met the man who held Yamada head on. He had a gloomy appearance like someone who may work as a jailor. His clothes were more black rags than the clothes befitting a samurai they once were. The upper half of his body was exposed to the sight of a completely hollow right side with three eery rods shooting through to keep him in place.

"What-What the hell are you?!" Nanao asked in fright, because there was no way a human could live with such wounds. It was impossible.

"Yeah, it's gross, isn't it?" the man spoke, head tilted downwards towards the rods."But as a jiangshi, this is to be expected, right? Even before becoming an undead jiangshi, I still looked gross like this..." He stumbled off, then catching himself."Right, I should introduce myself." He bowed slightly and everyone winced at the sight."Hello, passengers aboard the Princess of Rejection, my name is Kira Izuru. It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance. You're all here for Yamada Hanatarou-san, correct?"

"Right!" Ichigo said back."Where is he?! You haven't done anything to him, have you?!"

"Please worry not. I haven't...yet."

"Yet?!"

"Well, that all depends on you, Kurosaki Ichigo-san," Izuru responded, turning around to pull Yamada out of one of the cabinets he hid him in.

"My name..." Ichigo mumbled, eyes then widening at the sight of Yamada, tied up and gagged."Hanatarou-kun!"

"Yamada-san!" Nanao shouted.

Yamada squirmed in Izuru's grip, pure fear resonating in his eyes as he caught sight of the undead man so close to him. He was already beginning to feel faint.

"He's been a great guest, really," Izuru mumbled off, dragging Yamada forward by the collar of his kimono."Nice and quiet. I don't like a lot of noise, you see, so it was pleasant."

"What are you planning on doing with Hanatarou-kun?!" Ichigo demanded."Stop playing around and tell me what you want!"

"Ah, well..." Izuru looked down, then noticing the arm in Ichigo's hand."Oh, great, you got it already." Izuru point down to the arm in Ichigo's hand."I want that."

"Huh? This arm?" Ichigo asked, holding it up with confusion.

"What could you possibly want some arm for?!" Nanao asked, growing anxious. There was clearly something they were missing. This arm was precious to Grimmjow and now this man wanted it too? What exactly was this arms true purpose?

Izuru turned his head to her, dull glare heavy."I have no reason to tell you anything. Hurry up and hand over the arm before your friend dies."

A cold shiver ran through the pair as they looked to each other, trying to figure out what to do. The answer was clear as day. They didn't know anything about this mysterious arm, but they did know Yamada was another passenger on this ship. A good man. They couldn't let him die over an object they didn't even understand.

"Fine," Ichigo finally spoke."I'll hand the arm over to you."

"Ah, wait just a moment, Kurosaki-san," Aizen suddenly butted in, startling everyone."I believe this man is withholding something from us."

"Huh?"

"What do you mean, Aizen-kun?" Nanao asked.

"Well firstly, though this may seem rude to say, Kira-san, you have a much more drawl and seclusive voice than the jovial one we heard throughout the ship."

"It did seem a little weird to me..." Ichigo noted.

"And furthermore," Aizen continued, pointing to Yamada still clutched in Izuru's hand."The current Yamada-san, though this may also be rude and disrespectful to say, is much more skittish than the composed man I see before me."

Nanao and Ichigo's eyes widened as Aizen grinned."So tell me, Kira-san, who exactly is the person you are currently holding hostage?"

A sudden giggle erupted from Yamada, though the voice sounded completely off. It was lighter and eery. Suddenly, the bindings around him disappeared and the Yamada they had seen before them was now a man of staggering height with a mocking grin. He dressed in the worn clothes of an old, Japanese samurai with brown bottoms and a dark blue top.

"I knew it wouldn't work..." Izuru grumbled to the man who now stood next to him, posture hunching inward.

"Gloomy as ever, Izuru-chan!" he cackled back to him.

"Who are you?!" Ichigo yelled."And where's Hanatarou-kun?!"

"Now, now, patience is best in these types of situations, don't you think?" The man before them bowed briefly, looking back up with a sharp grin."My name's Ichimaru Gin, just a sweet little undead kitsune who wanted to play a fun game with you all. It's been awhile since we've had guests."

"So you don't have Yamada-san?" Nanao asked, getting ready to take out her sword and cut both their heads off at this moment.

"No, no." Gin shook his head."We have him alright. He came barging in here all bravely and passed out from shock." He chuckled."It really was quite funny."

Izuru sighed.

"What do you intend to do with Yamada-san, Ichimaru-san?" Aizen asked, stepping forward."If you still want the arm Kurosaki-san holds, then what was the point to all this? It seems suspicious, if you ask me."

"Just a little game." Gin sighed."Izuru-chan hates playing my games, you see, and we aren't able to meet living people all that often. I thought I would have a little fun before claiming back what's rightfully ours."

"Rightfully yours...?" Ichigo asked.

"That arm was given to us," Izuru answered."We noticed it was gone, so we kept Yamada-san here to trade him back for it."

Aizen couldn't help but find himself fuming slightly at their lies. Like this, Ichigo would play right into their hands. He had to figure out something to get that arm to stay with him.

"Let us see proof that you have Yamada-san," Aizen spoke."You could've already killed him, after all. We need to know he's alive."

"Of course you do," Gin hummed."But we didn't have anything to tie him up with, you see. If we were to let him out right now, he would just come running to your side and completely leave us, and we can't have that, can we?"

Gin sauntered over to the cabinet where he had come out of previously, knocking on the door directly next to it."Right now, Yamada-san is peacefully resting in here. I swear it on my undead life." He turned to Izuru."C'mon, Izuru-chan, you do it to."

Everyone turned to him as Izuru bowed his head."What Gin-san's saying is true," he spoke."I put Yamada-san in that cabinet myself. I swear it on my undead life."

"All you gotta do is hand that pretty little arm over to Izuru-chan and I'll open the latch and let your friend out," Gin finished with a smile."Not a bad deal, right?"

Ichigo looked between the two of them, not trusting them but not knowing if he had any other choice. But the thing was, no harm came to them if this arm was handed over and furthermore, neither of these men had any weapons on them. If they refused to hand over Yamada after this, he and Nanao could just fight them and nab him themselves. Undead or not, they could take them. That's what his gut told him.

Ichigo looked to Nanao, who seemed to be thinking the exact same thing as him. With a small nod, Ichigo focused back on the two.

"I accept. Take the arm," Ichigo spoke, tossing the damned thing over to Izuru who stumbled to grab it, almost tripping in the process.

"Wait, Kurosaki—"

But before Aizen could do anything, suddenly a breathless voice spoke up from behind them amongst the tension.

"Ise-kun! Kurosaki-sama! And Aizen-kun as well!" Isane called with a wave, running over to them with a hopeful smile on her face.

"Kotetsu-sencho!" Nanao spoke with relief, glad she was okay. But such feeling lasted very shortly.

"What happened? Did you find Yamada-sama?" she asked, peering into the room with slowly widening eyes.

Suddenly, to the confusion of everyone in the room, her skin went completely pale as her body began to visibly vibrate and twitch out of control."A-Ah...Ah..." She convulsed, movements jaunty.

"Kotetsu-sencho?!" Nanao called in fear, moving over to grasp her arm, but her hand snapped back as soon as it came in contact with her. Isane's skin was burning hot. Too hot to touch.

"What's wrong, Kotetsu-sencho?!" Ichigo called.

"Ah...Ah...AHHHHH!" Isane cried out, hands clutching her heart in desperation as she keeled over, body still vibrating and twitching like it had become possessed. Her eyes glazed over, staring off emptily, and her mouth hung open, drool now pouring past her lips and onto the wooden floor below.

"What's wrong, Kotetsu-sencho?! Kotetsu-sencho?!" Ichigo called.

"I can't touch her!" Nanao wailed, dropping to her knees."She's burning hot!"

"Oh my," Gin mumbled, Izuru looking to him in question and then back at the disturbing sight before him.

A calm voice cut through the chaos."Step aside."

Everyone looked to the new intruder who was none other than the calm captain of the Princess of Rejection, Unohana Retsu. She stood before them all, not fazed in the slightest by the events unfolding before her. Even as the ships passengers hastily moved aside for her and even as she picked up the scorching hot Isane, her expression still didn't change.

"Unohana-sencho, what's going on?! What's wrong with Kotetsu-sencho?!" Nanao asked desperately.

"For now, I would ask that everyone please follow me to the deck," Unohana spoke calmly, stepping out of the arm infested room.

"What?" Ichigo raised his voice in protest."But Hanatarou-kun's still..."

"Kurosaki-sama," Unohana spoke to him, tone dark in warning."I am this ships captain. If I ask that you follow me to the ships deck, I expect you to do so. Your ignorance to follow my orders is what caused this all in the first place. Yamada-sama will be okay, so follow me."

Hiding behind a smile, her glare was deep and intruding. Yet she was right. If Ichigo had never left his room, then Yamada would've never followed him and gotten himself in this situation in the first place.

With resignation, Ichigo turned back to the pair of undeads with a heated glare."I'll be back for Hanatarou-kun, you hear me?! Don't even think about hurting him!"

"Of course not," Gin purred back.

Ichigo caught up with Unohana who was looking back to Aizen."Aizen-sama," she spoke to him, snapping his gaze towards her."Come along. You're a passenger on this ship as well."

"Right, of course..." He turned away, following after them. The arm would have to wait until he found a way out of this.

Izuru sighed as they left, Gin smiling and giving them a small wave."Bye bye~"  
  


* * *

  
  
The group followed Unohana up to the ships deck with the help of Nanao who was reading off a map Unohana had given her to use. Everyone was too perplexed by everything that was happening to ask why she had such a thing and instead simply followed her the short trip up to the deck in silence.

Nanao watched Isane juggle about in Unohana's arms with concern while Ichigo and Aizen were off in their own thoughts following behind them. They reached the top of the steps and entered onto the deck, all deep in their thoughts with a heavy weight of what could only be called despair. They were all, to put it simply, worn out.

"Hello, passengers aboard the Princess of Rejection! It's wonderful to see you're all in one piece!"

A man at the bow of the ship greeted them with a great smile on his face and hat shading his eyes. Cane in one hand, fan in the other, Urahara Kisuke spoke with a cheer unbefitting of current attitudes.

Nanao and Aizen's eyes widened while Ichigo's filled with confusion at the stranger.

"The one with Jaegerjaquez-san!" Nanao shouted.

"Urahara Kisuke!" Aizen grimaced, a slight growl in his voice.

"Hello there, Ise-chujou, Aizen-kun," he greeted the two of them. He then looked to Unohana who laid Isane down against the side of the ship. She began to rumble and wake."And it looks like Kotetsu-sencho should be waking soon. Perfect!"

"How are you here?!" Aizen demanded, stepping forward."I searched the whole ship! You shouldn't be able to be here right now!"

"And what about your relationship with Grimmjow?" Nanao asked."Are you a daemon too?!"

"Now, now, I'll answer all your questions in due time." Urahara snapped his fan closed, putting it away."We must wait for all the little children to arrive before we start story time, don't you think?"

There was confusion all around before Grimmjow's blundering voice spoke up from behind them."Who the hell are you calling a little kid, huh?!"

Storming up the stairs to the deck was Grimmjow with a passed out Yamada slung over his shoulder. He had a scowl on his face as he walked over to Urahara.

"Hanatarou-kun!" Ichigo gasped.

"Ah, my apologizes, Grimmjow-san. My words are all in jest, I promise," Urahara spoke to him, bending forward as Grimmjow slumped Yamada at his feet.

"Just hurry up and take it," Grimmjow growled."I'm tired of carrying this guy around."

"Of course." Urahara reached for Yamada's sash, opening it to revel the crystallized arm which Ichigo had given over to Izuru and Gin.

Gasps were heard all around as Urahara picked it up with a small cloth, producing a wooden box which the arm was able to perfectly fold into."Perfect," he mumbled with a smile, turning to Grimmjow."If you would wake up our friend Yamada-san, I would be forever grateful, Grimmjow-san."

Grimmjow grumbled but did so anyways, leaning over and giving Yamada one hard slap to the cheek. It was extremely effective, though cruel, and Ichigo was instantly running over to the confused Yamada who was now sitting up, clutching his swollen cheek in pain.

"W-What's going on?!" he asked with fear and confusion, then noticing Ichigo to some relief."Ichigo-san...!"

"Hanatarou-kun...!" Ichigo called back, quickly pulling him away from the two men who he still had no clue if they were friend or foe.

"Wonderful!" Urahara clapped the box the arm was in shut."Now that everyone's safely here, allow me to introduce myself once again." He bowed lowly, a hand tipping the brim of his hat down."My name is Urahara Kisuke, a handsome, personable traveling merchant who deals in souls and the supernatural. Nice to meet you."  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> everyone *referring to Yamada*: skittish man
> 
> Yamada: am I a joke to you?


	7. Mr. Playwright

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm horny for Urahara Kisuke

**Act 1: The Setup**

"Since this is a story, after all, we should start from the very beginning, shouldn't we?" Urahara spoke to his audience and irritated half-daemon companion."If we we're going to go back to the very beginning, though, that would be much too long, so let's start this story from a time two years ago, when this scheme of ours first started..."  
  


* * *

  
  
_"Quite bold of you to board my ship unarmed, human," spoke a figure in the darkness of the night, being sure to hide itself in the shadows._

_Urahara laughed, turning around to greet the figure."I've always had quite the rebellious streak! But if you truly don't want me here, I'll see myself out, daemon-san."_

_There was a low, grumble-like hum as the figure stepped out to greet Urahara properly. It was an enormous daemon with tentacles falling off its horse-like face like hair. It's body was beastly and tough like an armadillo with large spikes protruding from its back. Anyone unfamiliar with such creatures would've surely fainted at the mere sight._

_"So you know about me," it spoke to Urahara, not bothering to hide itself anymore._

_"Yes, that's exactly why I'm here." Urahara smiled at the daemon who just stared back at him with wide, completely black eyes."My name is Urahara Kisuke, a friendly, handsome traveling merchant. I come here with a proposition for you, Unohana-sencho."_

_Her eyes didn't change at his insight, still boring into him."Am I correct to assume it has something to do with the Undead Sea? You have so boldly decided to leave your cabin during our travels through there, after all."_

_"You're exactly correct!" Urahara smiled at her, fan coming out."As a daemon, I'm sure you feel the strong presence which has been growing stronger in these waters for the past years."_

_"Yes..." Unohana looked out towards the sea on her right."It has an...unpleasant feel."_

_"Of course it would for a daemon of your caliber," Urahara responded, walking across the deck to peer at the grey, soul infested water below."Right now, rising in the sea is a pair of souls which carry with them the arm of a God they obtained one century ago. It will soon become their time to inhabit this ship for a night in hopes of taking someone's soul. When that night comes, I would like you to allow me to bring a half-daemon aboard this ship, along with following a few of my instructions."_

_"A half-daemon, you say?" Unohana had clear distaste in her voice. This was her territory, after all. What daemon would want a scrounging half-daemon on their turf?_

_"Don't worry, I'm sure they'll be respectful and follow all your rules. I promise."_

_Unohana's large head tilted to the side, putting some force behind her words."And what would be in it for me, to allow another daemon in my territory and have to follow the will of a human? I'm not so kind as to let you do all this freely."_

_"Of course not!" Urahara snapped his fan shut, pulling a small device out of the sleeve of his haori. It looked like some kind of collar."For your assistance, I offer you this."_

_"What is this piece of jewelry?" Unohana asked, staring at the seemingly harmless device."I don't care for much fashion statements."_

_"I call it a Daemon Suppression Device," Urahara spoke to her, stepping closer to Unohana."I understand how tough it may be for you, in this era, to do things freely in your current form. What this device will do is use a small portion of your own strength to suppress your daemon form and mold you to look like a human. A portion of your strength will be present, but while the collar is on, your daemon abilities along with your true form will be null."_

_Unohana stared back at the device, unsure of what to think._

_"Want to try it out?" Urahara asked with a grin."All you have to do is touch it."_

_He held his palm up to her, device lying in the middle waiting for her. Unohana, not one to dwell much on various dangers due to her many years of life, reached a scaled hand down and touched the device. Instantly, her form shifted into that of a woman with long black hair and, admittedly, completely naked._

_"Oh, apologies for my rudeness," Urahara spoke, quickly averting his eyes while Unohana didn't seem fazed in the slightest as she looked upon her new form."If you are to put on clothes in your human form, I promise you that even if you transform they will be in perfect condition once you shift back."_

_"I see..." Unohana noted, keeping one hand on the device while she peered at the other."I'm cold. So this is what it feels like..."_

_"Yes!" Urahara quickly spoke, catching himself in his excitement before he turned around again."As a human, you can experience a variety of different sensations. Even this ship, which you occupy alone, can have a proper crew now!"_

_Urahara pulled the device back, turning around as Unohana morphed back into her true daemon form."For your help in the future," he spoke."I offer you this, Unohana-sencho. You wont be able to find a device like this anywhere else, I assure you. It's my very own creation, after all."_

_"I see..." Unohana murmered, staring at her scaled claws—which were once sculpted human hands—in deep thought. Urahara watched her with a smile, just waiting and waiting and waiting until she finally spoke again."What exactly will you be having me do, Urahara Kisuke?"_

_Fan once again snapped in front of his face, Urahara smiled."It really is quite the simple task, Unohana-sencho..."_   
  


* * *

  
  
"Unohana-sencho..." Isane looked over to her captain from her spot resting on the ground, confusion deep in her eyes.

Urahara turned to the captain, bowing lowly."I'm deeply sorry for exposing your secret like this without your permission, Unohana-sencho," he spoke to her."It was rude and underhanded of me to do so."

Unohana looked to him, then away to the hunched over Isane."Raise your head, Urahara Kisuke-san. The truth had to be revealed at some point. I know that best."

Urahara did just that.

"So you're saying Jaegerjaquez-san is a half-daemon and Unohana-sencho is a full daemon?" Ichigo asked, trying to wrap his head around it all."This doesn't make any sense!"

"T-Two daemon...?!" Yamada was feeling faint all over again.

"I deeply apologize for keeping this from you for so long, Kotetsu-sencho," Unohana spoke to her, bowing low to meet her eyes."I know it is unfair of me to say, but I hope that you will not look at me any different now knowing about my past. But, if you wish to leave this ship with the rest of the passengers once we reach the port, I would understand your actions."

"I would never!" Isane suddenly barked back, then realizing her sudden refusal and cowering in embarrassment."I would never leave because of something like this, Unohana-sencho. You and this ship mean far to much to me. And you said it best, did you not? Humans have no reason to be wary of daemons. No more than they do of a regular human being."

"Yes, I did say that..." Unohana mumbled."Thank you for understanding, Kotetsu-sencho."

"Of course!"

"So both Unohana-sencho and Jaegerjaqez-san were working for you this whole time..." Aizen muttered to himself, piecing everything together.

"And so?" Nanao pointed to the box in Urahara's hand."What exactly is that arm?"

"Ah, of course, I should probably cover that before I continue, shouldn't I?" Urahara smiled to her."This here is the arm of the God of Fortune Benzaiten or Benten-sama. After losing her arm, she has been living a recluse life as a human known as Shiba Kukaku-sama."

Ichigo's eyes widened."Shiba...Kukaku...?"

"Surprised, Kurosaki-san?" Urahara smiled at him."After all, you have a relative that goes by that very name, don't you?"

"What does that mean?!" Yamada asked, trying to understand what was going on."Is Ichigo-san a God?!"

"Only one eighth!" Urahara responded back cheerfully, stunning everyone."That's why he's just a bit more fortunate than your average human and also why he could hold Benten-sama's arm without being burnt to a crisp."

Ichigo's eyes widened, not understanding anything that was going on. Him? Part God? It didn't seem real, yet it didn't feel like Urahara was lying either. Shiba Kukaku had always been an odd one and was said to have passed away young, just as oddly as she had lived. But by the way Urahara was talking, and if she was a God, was it possible she was still alive?

So, Ichigo asked Urahara just that."Is Shiba Kukaku-san still alive?"

"Astute assumption, Kurosaki-san!" Urahara praised him."Yes, it's as you say. Shiba Kukaku-sama is still alive. She's a God, after all." Urahara smiled to him."It was, in fact, Benten-sama herself who requested I retrieve her arm back to her. It seems she's had enough of human life and seeks to become a full God once again."

"You've met her?!" Ichigo asked quickly.

"Yes, I have indeed," Urahara responded."But that's enough about that. If you wish to know more, we can have a good long talk later. I'm sure the rest of you are dying to know what exactly occurred on this ship in order to obtain this arm."

"Not really," Nanao spoke.

"Your rambling's annoying," Grimmjow growled.

"It's great to see such youthful spirit full of curiosity!" Urahara cheered."Now, onto act two!"

**Act 2: The Divide in Government**

"No matter how prepared I was, I, of course, couldn't predict exactly who would be boarding the Princess of Rejection, though after the death of Ukitake Juushirou, I had a feeling we would be gaining some very exciting guests aboard this ship. And much to my jolly, we did! Though I would've never expected a Shiba!

"Kurosaki Ichigo-san, Yamada Hanatarou-san, and Ise Nanao-san. You three were unpredictable elements in my plan to obtain Benten-sama's arm and divert Aizen-kun from stealing it before me."

"You were after the arm too, Aizen-kun?" Nanao asked him, which he didn't see need to answer.

"Yes, poor Aizen-kun has always been dying to get in the way of my plans," Urahara huffed forlornly, looking to the man."Would you like to explain why, or shall I?"

"This has nothing to do with anyone on this ship," Aizen responded coldly."There's no need to explain anything."

"Of course, if that's your wish," Urahara smiled to him, then looking back to everyone else."Either way, I needed to divert Aizen-kun's attention away from those who were working for me so he wouldn't figure out my true plan, and what better way to do so than with Shiba Ichigo-san, who could also sense where Benten-sama's arm was—much like our daemon's—because of his blood relation!"

"Sense Benten-sama's arm?" Ichigo questioned."But I couldn't really sense anything. Sure I did have a gut feeling that something was on this ship, but that was just the daemons..."

"We'll get to that shortly, no worries!" Urahara responded to him."But firstly, the problem was how exactly would Aizen-kun figure out Kurosaki-san was of Shiba blood? Well, that really was quite simple.

"Firstly, I made sure that when the ship set sail and everyone met in the main hall that Unohana-sencho had everyone introduce themselves so that Yamada-san would recognize that Ise-chujou was on the ship with them. With Kurosaki-san in the sickbay, he would not attend the meeting and therefore his identity as a rebel leader would be hidden from her. I knew that surely, even once he was healed, Kurosaki-san would stay in the sickbay knowing that Ise-chujou was on board so as not to start an unneeded fight.

_"This is bad, Ichigo-san! The Lieutenant General of the 8th Division is here on the ship with us! If she finds out you're here, it'll be a blood bath!"_

_"It'll be fine. All we have to do is keep telling people I'm injured and can't get out of bed. No one has any reason to come here to see me anyways."_

"Even without Yamada-san using Kurosaki-san's fathers given name to introduce him, I knew Aizen would've been suspicious of him for not leaving the sickbay because of the ships healing properties. Aizen would've investigated him and surely found out he was a Shiba at some point, then in part diverting his suspicions of anyone else on the ship to focus on using Kurosaki-san to obtain the arm himself.

_It mattered little if he was actually working for Urahara or independent at this point. Aizen would use him to get to Benten's arm before Urahara._

"Ise-chujou also helped in this by overhearing a 'conversation' between Grimmjow-san and I in the cabins late at night. This was just a backup plan, but I knew her thoughts of seasickness would keep her up late at night and that if I had Grimmjow-san mumble off a couple lines of scripted dialogue, then she would grow paranoid of him being a rebel or some type of threat to the government.

_"The fucking entire military could be waiting for us at the Main Port and all he would say is 'just wait' or 'don't worry' that fucking bastard. I'm not gonna get fucking arrested!"_

"It also helped that rumor was going around about a foreign, oddly bright-haired rebel leader who was an extremely strong fighter. The description fits him perfectly, does it not?" Urahara smiled to Grimmjow who scowled his way."So the protective Ise-chujou, who had just made friends with Kotetsu-sencho and Aizen-kun, of course told them about her suspicions which immediately threw Grimmjow-san off Aizen-kun's list of potential suspects."

_She had heard rumor of one of the leaders of the rebel army, a man with bright, oddly colored hair and a strong personality. They spoke of his fearless combat abilities and the possibilities of him having foreign roots because of his roots. Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, if that was even his real name, must be that man._

_Thanks to this, though, Aizen was able to mentally cross off Grimmjow's name on his list of suspects. He clearly had other motives of being here as a rebel spy and wasn't concerned about the arm._

Aizen clicked his tongue at his words.

"So you just used my paranoia to your own benefit, didn't you, Urahara-san?" Nanao questioned bitterly. Her face was scrunched up in distaste, not believing how easily she was fooled. But some part of her was oddly glad to know that she didn't just reach this conclusion all by herself. Someone was messing with her.

"I wont deny I did, Ise-chujou." Urahara bowed to her."And for that, I am incredibly sorry. I don't wish to play around with the feelings of others, especially those in mourning, but it had to be done."

"Just hurry up and continue," Nanao snapped back at him."I want to know exactly how much more you messed with me before I come to any decisions."

"Of course, whatever you wish, Ise-chujou," Urahara spoke, sitting back up."And with that, we shall begin act three."

**Act 3: The Daemon**

"The next step, now that Aizen-kun knew of 'Shiba' Ichigo-san, was to make sure that Kurosaki-san wouldn't go after Benten-sama's arm himself. I'm sure you remember, Kurosaki-san, the dreams which have been plaguing you since you arrived aboard this ship."

"Yeah, I remember." Ichigo nodded."But what does that have to do with anything?"

"Those dreams are the will of Benten-sama's arm. They were attempting to call out to you to find her arm. I, of course, couldn't have such a thing. I needed something to divert your attention towards, which is why I focused towards the daemons, since as well as sensing Benten-sama's arm, a partial God like yourself can also sense other supernatural creatures."

"Wait..." Ichigo's eyes widened."Don't tell me you...?"

"Yes, that's exactly right!" Urahara smiled at him."While everyone was busy greeting one another, I slipped into the sickbay and left you a little 'hint' telling you there was a big, bad daemon on this ship which needed killing."

_"You must find them, Kurosaki-san. There's a daemon aboard this ship you must kill. Find them quickly. Before it's too late..."_

"You played me!" Ichigo yelled at him."I thought for sure..."

"Oh, but there were daemon's, were there not?" Urahara smiled slyly at him."It wasn't a total lie, was it, Kurosaki-san?"

"That doesn't make it any better!" Ichigo growled back.

"Giving off the illusion of false enemies was the only way to get you to move," Urahara explained."So that way, Aizen-kun would be chasing Kurosaki-san who was chasing after a not-so illusionary daemon."

Isane and Yamada's eyes were wide while Grimmjow just clicked his tongue."Only made things more annoying, that's what it did," he grumbled.

Urahara ignored him."I'm truly sorry for what I've done to you, Kurosaki-san, but like Ise-chujou, I would think it best to save any thoughts until the end of my tale. There's much more I have yet to apologize for, after all."

Ichigo huffed."Fine. Continue then."

He smiled."Thank you."

**Act 4: Undead Sea**

"Now we have the possibility of a rebel threat, a mysterious daemon aboard, and the true goal of taking Benten-sama's arm to play around with. Let's put this tales pieces in order to explain to you exactly what happened once we entered the Undead Sea, shall we?

"The first person to leave their cabin was Kurosaki-san. In search of the daemon, he exited the sickbay before we entered the Undead Sea with Aizen-kun following after him from afar. One thing you must know about the Undead Sea is that, when you enter this part of the ocean, all the souls of the dead living here will try to steal your soul so that they may feed off your souls energy and live once again.

"Lower souls will try to snatch your soul once you've lost your boarding pass while older, stronger souls will formulate into a living being called an 'undead' which inhabit themselves during certain periods of time in the Undead Sea throughout the century. This day and this night is the one in a century chance at obtaining the arm Benten-sama left with the undead's who rule over this night. A very special occasion indeed.

"When an undead takes over a ship in the Undead Sea, it essentially becomes their domain. You may have noticed all the rooms which appeared on the ship and how the rooms originally on the Princess of Rejection were all jumbled around. This is due to that. If you were to be stuck in one of these extra rooms once we left the Undead Sea, then you would be trapped there and die. That's why Unohana-sencho tells passengers not to leave their cabin, because it's part of the original ship and you will not die if you stay in there."

A heavy silence fell over everyone upon realizing what could've happened to them if it was not for Urahara bringing them all here. They could've been dead.

"So, Aizen-kun needed to be in the same room as Kurosaki-san when we entered the Undead Sea, but much to his misfortune, that didn't occur. Instead Ise-chujou, who exited her room upon hearing Grimmjow-san leave his cabin just seconds before we entered the sea, greeted him.

"Though Ise-chujou thought she would catch Grimmjow-san in the act, in reality, he had appeared on the opposite side of the ship due to the relocation of his cabin. From there, Grimmjow chose to wait for me in the main hall which he had stumbled across while I ran around making a map of the current layout of the ship."

An audible gasp was heard from Aizen and everyone turned to him."You made a map?" he asked in astonishment."You mean to tell me you designed a map of the entire ship in that short amount of time?!"

"Hey, it wasn't that easy, you know," Urahara responded in a sing song tone."I had to have a bunch of spare boarding passes to enter through all those tricky doors. It was quite the hassle."

Aizen wished he wasn't so impressed. Wished he could've know better. Urahara was a _genius_ and impeccable manipulator.

"Anyways, continuing further, while Aizen-kun searched for Kurosaki-san who searched for an unnamed daemon, Grimmjow-san and I met up after I created the map and we were confronted with Ise-chujou who believed Grimmjow-san and I to be rebel spies. Since she didn't listen to my explanation, Grimmjow-san had her go to sleep while I prepared the next steps of the plan.

"From there, Yamada-san, who had been working up the courage to exit his cabin, finally took the plunge and was confronted with the undeads who are currently in control of the ship, Ichimaru-san and Kira-san. He screamed and passed out, which alerted Kotetsu-sencho who had been awake at the time and forced her to leave her cabin in search, thinking Ise-chujou had been hurt by Grimmjow-san."

"Eh?" Isane's eyes widened."So that scream wasn't Ise-kun? She was already..."

"Yes." Urahara looked to her."Ise-chujou was passed out long before you woke up, Kotetsu-sencho. Because of the shifting of rooms, yours and Yamada-san's rooms were placed very close to one another's. Therefore, you were able to hear his cry clearly."

Yamada blushed profusely, wanting to just hide away in embarrassment.

"Don't beat yourself up over it, Kotetsu-sencho," Nanao spoke up after him."You did the right thing leaving your cabin to try to help. You wouldn't have found me otherwise."

"Thank you, Ise-kun." Isane smiled to her.

"Yes, she's quite right," Urahara agreed."Because of Yamada-san's outburst, you left your cabin and we were able to meet. I directed you to Ise-chujou in the process of making my way to the room the undead's were in and are unable to leave while in control of the ship while Grimmjow left to grab Benten-sama's arm.

"And upon entering the undead's domain, I made a deal with them..."  
  


* * *

  
  
_Izuru and Gin spoke amongst one another, trying to decide where to put the passed out Yamada in front of them when Urahara arrived._

_"Not another one..." Izuru grumbled gloomily at the sound of the other door in the room opening. As he turned around, though, he was greeted with a smile instead of a look of fear for once._

_"Hello there, gentlemen," Urahara greeted them, stepping inside without the least bit of hesitance and noting Yamada on the floor."Ah, if it isn't Yamada-san! It seems I was correct in assuming his room connected to yours. My, it seems he's fallen unconscious!"_

_"He seems to be quite the soft-hearted man," Gin chittered back, coiling around Izuru's neck to greet Urahara."Unlike you..."_

_"Urahara Kisuke, a humble, perverted traveling merchant." He bowed in greeting."A pleasure to meet you, Ichimaru-san, Kira-san."_

_Gin's eyes narrowed."So you know about us..."_

_"Yes. Benten-sama told me all about you." He smiled at the two of them."An undead jiangshi and an undead kitsune are quite rare things. It's no wonder she left her arm in your care."_

_"Are you here to take it back?" Izuru asked."If that's the case, it's not here. It's hidden in one of the dead end rooms. You need multiple boarding passes to get through."_

_"Izuru-chan," Gin purred, claws at his neck."Don't spoil our secrets so easily~"_

_"It's okay. I already have someone on there way to procure it."_

_"Hmm..." Gin hummed, grin sharpening."Then what could you want from us, Urahara Kisuke-san? It couldn't possibly be to give this man back to you, could it?"_

_"Not quite." Urahara snapped his fan open."I'd like to make a deal with the two of you. If you announce that you have Yamada Hanatarou-san to the rest of the passengers on this ship and trade him for Benten-sama's arm, I will give you both as many souls as you need to come back to life again."_

_The pairs eyebrows raised at that._

_"After all, this is only Kira-san's time for the century, is it not?" Urahara questioned."If I remember tight, your time will be in another year, is that correct, Ichimaru-san? I will promise to give the souls to you then."_

_"Hm...you know quite a lot, don't you, Urahara-san," Gin purred at him."So you're aware of our partially merged souls."_

_"Yes."_

_"And where will you get the souls?" Izuru asked."Are you going to bring some people aboard the ship? I don't like having to round up stray souls. It's a hassle."_

_"No, no, I will do no such thing." Urahara snapped his fan shut."I deal in souls, you see, Kira-san. I have plenty spare I'm willing to give away if you would have them."_

_Gin sniffed at the air with a crinkled nose while Izuru side eyed him, waiting for his deduction._

_"You do smell quite sweet, don't you," he purred."You must've been dealing in souls for quite awhile."_

_"Sweet, huh..." Izuru mumbled, not even bothering to smell."I wish souls smelled sweet to me like they do to divine beings like you, Gin-san."_

_"That's what happens if you don't have a proper soul, Izuru-chan. Accept it."_   
  


* * *

  
  
"And while I spoke to them, Kurosaki-san, Ise-chujou, and Kotetsu-sencho all met up while Grimmjow-san encountered Aizen-kun. I had Grimmjow-san go find him on his way to Benten-sama's arm to inform him that one: Kurosaki-san had Benten-sama's arm—which he did not at the time—and two: that Kurosaki-san was searching for Yamada-san. That way, when Ichimaru-san made the announcement, Aizen-kun would head to their room and not continue searching for Benten-sama's arm.

"I also knew, of course, that Kurosaki-san, Ise-chujou, and Kotetsu-sencho would go save Yamada-san as well. My intention of leading everyone to the undead's room was so that you all could be transported safely to the ships deck, and by having Grimmjow-san give Kurosaki-san Benten-sama's arm, I was ensuring Aizen-kun stayed with you all and wasn't made aware of Grimmjow-san working with me to bring him there.

"And so, in the time that you made it over there and handed Ichimaru-san and Kira-san Benten-sama's arm, I made my way back to Unohana-sencho's cabin to give her a map of the ship so that she may pick you up and lead you to the deck where I made my way to afterwords.

"Benten-sama's arm was handed over to Ichimaru-san and Kira-san and the rest of you were led up here by the ever-imposing Unohana-sencho while Grimmjow-san picked up Yamada-san and Benten-sama's arm from the undead's where it then made its way into my hands."

Urahara held up the box in a show of that. The smile slowly left his face as he hooked his cane on one arm to grab at his hat and place it over his chest as he bowed to everyone before him."Once again, I would like to apologize for everything I have made you all go through. I ask not for your forgiveness nor your understanding. Every action I took thus far was crucial to my plan and I wouldn't have changed anything I've done in the slightest no matter how remorseful I feel."

There was a silence which followed, no one really sure what to say to the bowing man before them. Grimmjow eyed them all from his place by Urahara's side, scoffing slightly. Just that sound seemed to be enough to snap Urahara back into attention, playful smile right back on his face.

"So, any questions?"

"Any questions?!" Nanao yelled."I have no questions for a manipulative liar like you!"

"That's fair."

"What about what happened to Kotetsu-sencho?" Aizen asked, Urahara genuinely surprised he came to him for anything."Why did she suddenly pass out like that when she met up with us?"

"I want to know too!" Isane backed Aizen."My body suddenly felt all hot and faint, like I was growing a massive fever. Everything went black and then suddenly I woke up here..."

Urahara turned to Unohana."Shall I tell her or shall you?" he asked her.

"You've said enough, Urahara-san," Unohana responded, bringing Isane to her feet and speaking to everyone, but mainly her."I believe you've all heard of the legend of Orihime-sama and the Princess of Rejection already. While most of that story is true, was lies false is Orihime-sama's blessing upon this ship."

Unohana let go of Isane, yet still kept most of her body faced towards her."It's not the ship which is blessed with healing abilities but you, Kotetsu-sencho."

"E-Eh? What do you mean, Unohana-sencho?" Isane's eyes widened. What was Unohana saying? It was her who was healing everyone all this time?

"You may not be aware of it yourself, Kotetsu-sencho, but you are what's known as a caladrius," Unohana began explaining."They're a type of pale bird which heals injured royalty and, in your mind, this ship and anyone on it are seen as just that. But since you were unaware, your powers act out instinctively, so when you saw the two undead men, your powers attempted to heal to them and overheated in the process, because it's not possible to heal a dead person, which caused you to pass out."

"A-A caladrius?" Isane felt like she was overheating all over again."I'm a..."

"Kotetsu-sencho?" Unohana questioned, stepping closer to her.

"Oh my..."

Isane promptly passed out, Unohana rushing to catch her before she fell to the ground.

"Kotetsu-sencho?!" Nanao yelled, running over to her along with an equally concerned Ichigo and confused out of his mind Yamada.

"Oh, and wouldn't you have it!" Urahara turned away from them, staring off at the rising sun along the skyline."It looks like the sun in finally rising!"

"Shut up already," Grimmjow growled next to him."My ears feel like they're bleeding from all your yammering."

Urahara chuckled, turning back around and ignoring Grimmjow's snide comment. He smiled brightly at the odd crew before him and couldn't help but get in one last word."Good job making it out of the Undead Sea alive, everyone!"  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think Grimmjow's last line perfectly sums ups our thoughts after all this
> 
> Urahara was really like: sorry not sorry


	8. Goodbyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Me *getting to the last chapter*: Damn I kinda...don't wanna edit this

Isane woke up groggily to the sound of voices moving around her. As she squinted her eyes open, she found she was back in her bed in her private quarters. For a single second, she wondered if it had all been a dream. She would go down to eat breakfast with Nanao and Aizen as she did the day before, then take over the helm for Unohana-sencho who would give her a soft morning greeting.

But no, she knew deep in her heart all of that was false. Aizen had only gotten close to her to figure out if she was working for Urahara, Unohana was a daemon disguised as a human, and she was a caladrius. The name felt familiar and warm even though she thought it was her first time hearing it.

"Kotetsu-sencho!" Nanao called with relief from her bedside.

Isane turned her head to the side to see Nanao sitting in a chair next to her with Unohana standing further down by the foot of the bed.

"Ise-kun, Unohana-sencho..." she mumbled, sitting up slowly.

"Don't push yourself, Kotetsu-sencho," Unohana spoke to her in her typical calm, soothing voice. Daemon or not, Isane still believed it was the loveliest sound in the world.

"Unohana-sencho..." Isane spoke, looking to her with pleading eyes. She was still struggling to wrap her mind around all of it, but continued anyways."Why didn't you tell me? I understand why you kept hidden you were a daemon, but why did you never tell me I was a caladrius? Why did you keep it from me for so long?"

Nanao kept silent between the two of them as Unohana spoke.

"At first, I didn't know you were unaware of the fact. I had always seen you admiring my ship when it was docked in your village, but at the time I couldn't come out to talk to you because of my daemon form. But once we were able to formally speak to one another and you told me about your family's early passing and your love for this ship and the magic it held, I simply couldn't bring myself to explain that it was you who was actually the one behind it all. I wanted to preserve that magic for you, if only a little while longer."

Unohana still kept her head held high as she spoke, eyes never wavering from Isane's. She had always been that way, head strong and blunt. Gentle and caring. So for her to be so worked up about Isane came as a surprise to the co-captain.

It wasn't a bad one.

Unohana turned away."We have three hours until we reach the Main Port. If you feel up to helping me prepare, then come out at your own leisure. I must start now. Goodbye, Kotetsu-sencho."

She began to leave, yet Isane couldn't let her go just yet."Unohana-sencho!" she called, her captain stopping and waiting for her to speak."Thank you...Thank you for everything you've done for me! I don't want to leave this ship. If you would have me..."

"Of course, Kotetsu-sencho." Unohana let a small, intimate smile pass her lips."You are this ships soul. There's no way I would ever turn down anything you desired."

"Thank you so much!" A wide, maddening grin entered Isane's face as she nodded back to Unohana who now exited her room.

Nanao smiled at the pair."I'm happy for you, Kotetsu-sencho. I'm glad you were able to make amends. This ship is your pride, after all."

"Yes..." Isane responded, looking to Nanao."What about you, Ise-kun? Could we...still be friends?"

"Of course, Kotetsu-sencho!" Nanao responded back with a sudden passion."Aizen-kun or you being a caladrius doesn't matter! We'll still be friends, as long as you would have me."

"There's no way I wouldn't want us to continue being friends, Ise-kun!" Isane responded back."After all you've done for me, I couldn't ask for a better friend."

Nanao smiled back to her, a small thing reserved just for her."Me neither, Kotetsu-sencho."  
  


* * *

  
  
After talking to Isane a while longer, Nanao left her to get dressed and back to work. Lost on what to do or where to go, she made her way back to the main hall knowing that even if she desired a short nap after a night awake, sleep would not come so easy.

Entering, she paused upon seeing Yamada and Ichigo talking with one another at one of the tables. They noticed her to, pausing to look at her in turn. Yamada was rightfully frightened while Ichigo's face was stone cold, just like Nanao's.

Ichigo was the first to speak up."Are you still going to attempt to arrest us, Ise-chujou?" he asked, eyes narrowed and hand clutching his broken katana."If that's the case, we will resist."

Nanao stared back, hand on her own sword. Her gun, which Urahara had stolen, was already deep in the ocean."So long as you don't do anything rash, I will leave you be for the duration of our trip. We've all been through enough, I feel. It's best not to waste our strength when neither of us wish to fight the other."

Ichigo's body slugged in relief and Yamada let out an audible sigh as the tension in the room lightened. They both knew better, at this point, to try anything. Especially after they've been laid so bare before one another.

"Thank you, Ise-chujou," Ichigo spoke with genuine sincerity."Our qualms have never been with the military, just the government which controls it. I know our views can stray apart at times, but I truly don't wish for anymore blood to be spilled over this feud."

And though Nanao could've said a number of snappish things in response, she only bowed her head."Thank you as well, Kurosaki-san. It seems we can at least agree on that."

Yamada looked between the two of them, wondering in his head what exactly happened while he was knocked out for them to suddenly act like this towards one another. There was an underlining air of respect and understanding between the two enemies that he would've never thought possible. But, in the face of something much larger than themselves, it seemed even enemies could coincide.

Ichigo then choose to speak up once again."I heard you are in relations with Kyouraku-taisho."

"Yes," Nanao responded wearily."He's a close relative of mine. I'm traveling on this ship to see him."

"Then we're here for similar reasons."

Nanao's eyes narrowed."What do you mean?"

Yamada's head snapped to Ichigo."Ichigo-san, you can't mean..."

"We're here for a similar reason," Ichigo said again, ignoring Yamada. He turned his full body to face Nanao, knowing what he was about to say would be going against his comrades but going through with it anyways."In four days from now, one of my fellow rebel leaders, Hirako Shinji-san, is planning to assassinate Kyouraku-taisho. Hanatarou-kun and I got on this ship to stop him."

"Assassinate Kyouraku-taisho...?" Nanao's eyes widened, then narrowed in suspicion."What are your intentions in telling me this?"

Taking out Kyouraku-taisho would heavily benefit his end. He might just be the key to them taking over and having their demands met if everything goes right.

"Like I said, I don't wish for anymore blood to be spilled. That also means Kyouraku-taisho's," Ichigo responded and Nanao honestly couldn't believe what she was hearing."I understand the benefits behind killing him, but I don't want to win like that. So, if I can't convince Hirako-san otherwise, I would like you to escape the city with Kyouraku-taisho or set him up with extra protection. Whatever you can to ensure Kyouraku-taisho is safe and no one on our end can be accused of convoluting with the enemy."

"And how will I know if you've succeeded or not?"

"You'll see a silver light post across the street once we get off the ship. In two days from now, I'll leave a folded note under a stone at the bottom of it. If it shows a black dot, I've managed to convince Hirako-san out of the assassination. If it's red, get Kyouraku-taisho out of the city."

Ichigo, at this moment, was asking Nanao to trust him. Two enemies at odds who hold a high respect for one another. The price was steep, too steep for Nanao to falter like she had been before. It wasn't the time to be arguing over whether or not to abandon emotion or sentiment.

She knew the facts. She had a gage of Ichigo's character. His desire to keep this conflict free of bloodshed was something he may very will die over. All his actions before this convinced her as such. So, could she trust him? At least just this once?

Nanao closed her eyes, breathing out a small breath."Okay. I'll wait for your word, Kurosaki-san."

Ichigo beamed back at her, knowing how hard such a decision could be."Thank you, Ise-chujou. I promise you wont regret this!"

"Just be sure not to forget, after this, we are enemies once again."

Ichigo nodded."Of course."

"Good." She passed by them, Yamada tensing slightly as she did so."I'll see you on the battlefield, Kurosaki Ichigo-san."

"You as well, Ise-chujou."

With that, she exited the room. Yamada let out a visible sigh at her departure. He was just glad he made it out alive.

"We're quite lucky, aren't we, Hanatarou-kun?" Ichigo smiled at him.

"That's all because of you, Ichigo-san," Yamada mumbled back in response to his stupid joke."Who would've thought you were a God, though? I still can't wrap my head around it!"

"One eighth God," Ichigo corrected, palm coming to rest on his chin."Well, let's just hope fortune favors me once again when I go to talk to Hirako-san."

"I'm sure it will, Ichigo-san! You're our leader after all!"  
  


* * *

  
  
Urahara paused his stride across the hall when noticing Aizen standing outside the door to his cabin, staring him down with a purposefully blank look on his face.

"Why if it isn't Aizen-kun," Urahara greeted, stopping himself a good distance away."Do you have any business with a humble traveling merchant such as myself?"

"Where's that half-daemon of yours?" Aizen asked instead, keeping his tone blank.

"Grimmjow-san's fast asleep by now, I would suspect. It was quite the taxing night for him, after all." Urahara's eyes narrowed."You wouldn't think to steal Benten-sama's arm from me now of all times, would you? Have you stooped so low, Aizen-kun? The game's already over."

"I'm not so childish as to continue." Aizen lifted his back off the door."I know when I've lost."

Urahara smiled at his words."How many times does that make this now...You've become so much more adept to losing, Aizen-kun! You used to argue and pout at me like a child. I'm glad you've grown up!"

"You're the childish one," Aizen snapped back, hating how easily his taunts got to him."You didn't have to give Kurosaki-san Benten-sama's and make that trade with the undeads. I would've stayed to converse with Kurosaki-san regardless. You just did that to make me feel like I had a chance, didn't you? Just to rub it in my face that you had already won."

"That's always been your problem, Aizen-kun," Urahara tutted."Making that deal with Ichimaru-san and Kira-san was the most sure outcome that I would be able to bring back Yamada-san without any bloodshed. A single human life serves a lot more purpose than you would expect. I just wanted to show you that. If just one of the passengers aboard this ship were never here, everything would've been completely different."

"I don't need you to teach me idiotic lessons I wont bother to remember," Aizen ground back, arms coming to cross over his front."I've already chosen my path. I see no reason for your adamant desire to correct it."

"Always so quick to discard everything." Urahara's smile left his face."That's why you've never beaten me, Aizen-kun. If you had truly become friends with Ise-chujou, or at least bothered to pay her any mind, you would've questioned as to why, exactly, she thought Grimmjow-san was a rebel. Maybe then you would've beaten me. But still, you remain ignorant to others. Is this perhaps your pride speaking?"

"Perhaps," Aizen mumbled."Or perhaps it's simply my desire to prove you wrong. You cannot always be right, Urahara-san, nor can your plans always fall in place. One day you will lose because of the very people you hold at such value. When that time comes, I expect you to give me my soul back."

"My, don't make it out to sound like I'm the bad guy. You gave it to me fair and square, Aizen-kun." Urahara took out his fan, opening it in front of him smile."As per our original deal, if you are to beat me once, I will give you your soul back. Don't worry, I haven't touched it once."

"I expect you haven't. As much as your curiosity often wins out, I know you stand by your words." Aizen turned away from him, opening up the door back into his cabin."Do as you wish with Benten-sama's arm, but expect to see me again, Urahara Kisuke-san. I see no reason in holding back, since I'm this adept to losing, after all."

_Trying to say I have more to lose now, huh?_

"I'll await your appearance with great pleasure, Aizen-kun." Urahara smiled to him, waving him off with his fan. This time more to simply irritate the man than pleasantries. Aizen knew that too, it appeared, by the slam of the door behind him.

As Aizen left, Urahara turned around to find Grimmjow scratching at his hair with his usual irritated expression.

"Your yapping's annoying," he mumbled."I've had enough of it already."

Urahara chuckled at his words, deciding it probably better to not further irritate the half-daemon.

"So he could ditch his boarding pass cause he never had a soul in the first place?" Grimmjow asked, stepping towards Urahara.

"Yes," Urahara responded."I've kept his soul for a great many years now. Not having one on you can be quite useful at times, I've heard. Would you like me to safe keep yours as well, Grimmjow-san?"

"Huh?! No way!" Grimmjow snapped back."I've wracked up enough debts with you already. This is my final time doing anything for you! Just make the daemon device for my wrist and then disappear from my sight!"

"Yes, yes..." Urahara smiled to him, snapping his fan closed. His eyes stayed on Grimmjow as he huffed past him without so much as a glare, probably too sick of looking at him.

Urahara folded his fan away, continuing his walk down the hall."Well then. Time to finally depart, it would seem. What a fun journey we had this time, wouldn't you say?"  
  


* * *

  
  
Nanao was the first to leave the Princess of Rejection once it docked. There was a pair of military officers waiting to escort her, so she felt it best to go first so as not to draw suspicion towards Ichigo and Yamada.

The next was Aizen, who didn't even look Isane's way as he left, too busy plotting his next move. Urahara and Grimmjow followed him, one grumpy and not wanting to interact and the other far too cheerful in his departure with a wooden box held in hand. He went through his pleasantries with Unohana and Isane, telling the both of them where to find him if they ever needed anything. Isane wasn't sure how she felt about such an offer from such a man just yet.

The last to go were Ichigo and Yamada, who had been watching out of one of the ships smaller windows to make sure no one from the military were still lingering before they left. Yamada was all to polite and Ichigo was all too formal about the affair. They wished them luck and left with heads held high.

Isane waved as the last of them went, hand slowly dropping to her side as Unohana walked up to her right.

"Wonderful sailing, Kotetsu-sencho," she spoke."Let us be glad that, once again, no souls were stolen from their rightful owners."

Isane still had a complicated expression on her face, staring off at the town before them with mixed emotions.

Gently, Unohana rested her hand on her shoulder."You did good work, Kotetsu-sencho. Perhaps, if fate would have it, you'll be able to see them once again."

"Maybe," Isane responded, small smile coming to her face."Perhaps in another life, when we can all be truly open with one another. When we're all fighting on the same side." She turned back to the ship, caressing the worn wooden walls of the Princess of Rejection."But for now, this is fine. Let's continue showing people the magic of this ship, Unohana-sencho."

Her captain smiled back to her, following her back inside."Yes, let's do just that, Kotetsu-sencho."  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's so much more I could do with this universe but I'm lazy so we'll leave it here. Like, did you know Orihime and Kukaku were on the same ship together in the Undead Sea? No? Of course you didn't, cause I never talked about it.
> 
> Anyways yada yada here's my [twitter.com](https://twitter.com/KikitheOat)  
> Dm me your best memes if you'd like
> 
> To whoever's reading this, thank you for reading.


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